Legacies
by Sandyy
Summary: Modern AU. In the year 2058 Uther Pendragon rose up as leader of the common people, defeated the tyrannical sorcerers in power and ruled over a peaceful but militaristic England for 13 years... Until the day Merlin set foot in New London (Camelot), and the most powerful warlock ever to walk the earth met Arthur Pendragon, the man he was destined to serve. (Rated T to be safe)
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters, sadly. All credit where credit is due. :) Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The leaves in the great oak tree rustled softly, playing about the dark haired boy's head as he sat, one leg dangling from the branch, an apple in one hand and a book in the other. His eyes wandered aimlessly over the pages of the book. It seemed pointless to even bother now. He'd be at another school come September. He wouldn't even be using this book. And yet, it felt as if the moment he stopped reading, he'd lost his last connection to the old school-like he'd stop existing in this world and no one would remember him anymore. A gust of wind tugged at the pages, turning to a new chapter, and he focused for a heartbeat on the words printed across the top of the page:

_In 2059, Callan and Treasa, the last members of the renegade rulers known as The Pure, were tried and executed for their crimes, and a new era of peace began for England. The corruption of magic was purged from this earth, and the Sorcery Laws were set down for the safety of all._

He sighed quietly and let the book fall shut, propping it against his bent knee. Peace. He wasn't the only one who was waiting for the peace to shatter-waiting for the first crack in the glass dam Uther Pendragon had built.

Merlin was restless. He knew-had always known that there was a reason for his gift. He had always felt that there was something about him-something deep inside him that he had forgotten, somewhere he was supposed to be, and something he was supposed to do. Why... He couldn't say. But he was restless. He needed a purpose. Had things been different, he might have tried to wait it out, but here in his birth town he was no longer welcome. Suspicion and hostility had begun to dog his steps.

Merlin's mother had worked hard for the past many years to keep herself and her son safe and alive in Armagh. He wished for all the world that she didn't have to worry so over him. She so much on her mind already. On top of her work and her worry over Merlin, Hunith endured the unspoken judgment of the neighbors. There had been a man at some point, of course. Merlin had never met him; he had left before his son was born. Hunith very rarely spoke of him, though when she did it was with both sorrow and love in her eyes, which led Merlin to believe that she knew something no one else did. His father had left for a reason. The neighbors had no such feelings for Merlin's unnamed father. As far as they were concerned, Hunith had made a mistake in her choice of man. Nonetheless, Hunith was well loved, and her mishap had long since been forgiven if not forgotten. Merlin had been generally accepted by other neighborhood children, saving a few who still called him the bastard child.

School had been a bit of a trial for Merlin. Hunith had kept him at home until he was six, old enough to manage his gift, as she called it, so that no one would notice it. One of the neighbors, Mrs. Taran, used to take care of him while his mother was at work. The elderly woman had passed away a couple of years ago, leaving her house to her daughter and taking Merlin's secret with her to the grave. After starting school, Merlin had lived in a state of constant excitement and fear, wondering if anyone would notice how... different he was, wishing he could have friends he didn't have to hide himself from. Then at the age of thirteen, Merlin had found a friend who made his life in Armagh bearable: William Dempsie. The boy had befriended Merlin early on at school, and soon the two found themselves out on adventures in the neighborhood. In one ill-fated escapade, the boys had ventured too far into the suburbs of the city and found themselves cornered by a knife-wielding thug. Their assailant had abruptly found himself hurled against a nearby dumpster, and while he staggered dazedly to his feet, a golden-eyed Merlin fled, dragging his shocked friend after him. It had been a long night of eager questions for Merlin. After that day, the two boys became hard and fast friends, and rarely was one to be seen without the other.

Life had settled into a routine for a time. Merlin never had a large circle of friends. For the most part he spent his time with Will who kept his secret faithfully and backed him up to the hilt every step of the way. Lately, though things had grown tense for Merlin. A couple of incidents had caused rumors to spread in the school. Before long, Merlin found himself increasingly isolated. As he grew older, Merlin's powers had grown with him. Merlin had tried to explain to a frightened Will after a nerve-wracking episode with some bullying classmates, that he couldn't help the magic. It just... happened. No one had been permanently harmed, but word got out pretty quickly. Even the cheerful and carefree Will had become uneasy for his friend's sake. The more Merlin tried to suppress it, the more unruly it seemed to grow.

Then one day Hunith found out that Will knew her son's secret, and everything changed. At first she'd been horrified. It had taken a lot of convincing on the boys' part to keep her from leaving then and there with Merlin. But with the rumors about Merlin growing larger and more elaborate by the day, both boys knew that it was time for Merlin to move on. Tensions were running higher than ever at the school. Despite Will's efforts, the end of the semester was a nightmare for Merlin. No one spoke to him save Will, and there was real fear in the eyes of many when they passed him in the halls. Thoughts of leaving Will and his mother, as painful as they were to Merlin, often became eclipsed when he imagined spending another semester shunned and ostracized in his school.

Once Merlin's fifteenth birthday came around, Hunith settled on a plan to keep Merlin safe. He had to have instruction to keep his abilities in check. And so, today-less than twenty-four hours before his departure for Camelot, Merlin sat, his back tucked against the trunk of his favorite tree, one leg dangling off the branch, a half eaten apple in one hand and an old schoolbook leaning against his knee. He lifted a hand and absently sent eddies of wind through the leaves, making them dance and twirl in intricate patterns. He didn't look down when the branches rustled noisily below him, nor turn his head when another boy settled on a branch beside him. Only one person knew how to find him in this place.

"Your mum's looking for you," his companion announced. Merlin didn't respond. There was a long moment of silence. "Going to be boring 'round here without you, mate," Will commented at last, his tone falsely light.

"Hmm." Merlin hummed noncommittally, trying to ignore the tears of frustration that pricked at the back of his eyes. It was funny, sometimes, how his unsought talent affected his life. He couldn't imagine a world where he didn't have magic. It made him who he was. Yet he couldn't even tell anybody about it. He couldn't even stay here... in case someone else found out. When he thought about it, he realized too that it wasn't just for his sake. His mother wasn't safe either as long as he was here. She had hidden him for years. Her life was as much at risk as his own, and perhaps even Will's. The wind Merlin was sending through the branches increased to a small cyclone, making the branches wave and sway wildly.

"Come on." Will reached out, nicked the apple from Merlin's hand, and took a bite. "You haven't got it all that bad," he said over a mouthful. "You're going to go to school in Camelot! Lots of kids here would kill to go live there for free."

"Yeah. It's great," Merlin said blandly. He let his hand drop at his side, watching the leaves settle from his little windstorm. Rays of fading sunlight trickled through them, dappling the tree-bark with spots of yellow. Will was silent for a moment. Then,

"Here." He prodded Merlin sharply in the side with a foot. Merlin looked up just in time to catch a bundle the boy tossed at him. "Brought you something." Will muttered, not meeting his eyes. He looked embarrassed. Merlin carefully unravelled the cloth in his hands. A pair of soft scarves came free, one red and one blue, and from the two pieces of cloth a pair of new leather boots tumbled out into Merlin's lap. Merlin blinked at them and looked up at Will. The tips of his friend's ears were turning scarlet.

"I mean... it's gonna be bloody cold in Camelot," the boy muttered, "And you're a stick, you are-probably don't even-"

"Thanks, Will." Merlin cut him off, and for the first time in what seemed like weeks, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah, well..." Will shifted. "Just try not to be as much of an idiot as you are here." he finished lamely.

"Oi!" Merlin reached out and shoved him. "You should be grateful. I'm the one who gets you out of trouble. You won't last a week with me gone." Merlin let his book fall from his perch and dropped down out of the tree to avoid Will's attempt to push him back.

"Me? You're the one who uprooted Mr. Simmons' tree," Will snorted.

"It was your idea," Merlin argued, now out and out grinning. Will arched an eyebrow at him and lobbed the apple at his head. Merlin, gathering his bundle of scarves and boots, sent it spinning back at the boy with a golden flash of his eyes before taking off at a run.

"Not fair!" Will yelped and dropped to the ground to pursue the laughing warlock across the park.


	2. New London

The soft patter of rain on the windows made Merlin's heart ache. He stood at the window of his little room, looked out across the field to the tree where he and Will had sat just the evening before, and fidgeted with the red scarf his friend had given him. His bed was neatly made, his desk and shelf of books were straightened up, and a cozy looking chair sat in the corner, a quilt folded over its back-a quilt his mother had made him when he was five. He'd dragged it around the house nearly all the time-almost insisted on taking it with him to primary school. Merlin turned his eyes to the mottled pale brown carpet. His insides squeezed uncomfortably. How long would it be before he saw this place again?

"Merlin?" Hunith's voice called from down the hall. Merlin bit his lip.

"Coming, mum," he answered, but he didn't move. The rain trickled across his window in glistening rivulets. The room seemed empty. It seemed lonely.

"Merlin, we're going to be late if you don't hurry." Merlin tore his gaze away from the window and trudged down the hall, letting his rolling suitcase bump against his heels at every step. "Are you ready?" Hunith asked. He nodded, not meeting her eyes. She seemed to understand and said nothing more as they made their way out to the car.

Merlin kept his eyes fixed on the window while they drove. Hunith was quiet too, and for that he was grateful. He could feel a lump rising ever higher in his throat, and he didn't trust his voice. The gray skies seemed to mourn with him. Each house they passed on the way down the road reminded him of another person, another thing he was leaving behind: The neighborhood hot chocolate on Yule's Eve, setting of fireworks out in the field on Guy Fawkes day... Will. His friend had said good bye the night before and given him a quick, one armed hug before darting off down the street. Merlin had sat for hours after that, toying with the ends of his new red scarf and battling the fierce burning in his eyes. Thinking about Will made the lump in his throat start to hurt, so he pressed his forehead against the glass window and watched other cars pass by, looking at the occupants and wondering wether he was really alone... wether anyone else had his gift, wether they were as afraid as he was.

It took several minutes to park and even longer to navigate the airport and find Merlin's gate. Hunith began talking at length as she pressed Merlin's ticket into his hand and explained for the dozenth time where he was to go, what papers he would show security, where Gaius' house was, how to hail a cab, that Merlin was to give Gaius her letter.

"I'll be alright, mum," Merlin said when she finished. Hunith blinked at him, and for one alarming moment, Merlin thought she was going to cry.

"Oh, Merlin," she said softly, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close. Merlin felt as if his throat was going to completely close up and he'd never be able to speak again. He pulled back after a moment and scrubbed an arm fiercely across his eyes. "I know you will." Hunith murmured. She brushed a lock of hair back from his face. "I'm proud of you. I always have been." Merlin bit down hard on his tongue and nodded. A voice over the speakers was announcing his flight number. Other passengers were already forming a line at the gate. Hunith squeezed his shoulders gently. "I love you, Merlin."

"Love you too, mum." Merlin heard his voice tremble. He let go of his suitcase and hugged Hunith one last time, burying his face in the soft fabric of her jacket.

"I'll see you at Christmas," his mother promised, giving him a last quick squeeze before pushing him away. "Don't give Gaius any trouble." Merlin could only nod. He gripped his suitcase handle tightly and marched towards the gate. As he handed his ticket to the airline serviceman, he cast a last look over his shoulder and saw Hunith smiling at him from the waiting area. He managed a weak smile in return. The man was handing his ticket back, and he took it quickly. If he didn't go now he'd never be able to do it. He lifted his head and hurried down the tunnel to the plane, not daring to look back again.

* * *

"Papers!" Merlin was startled out of his doze by a sharp-toned man. He sat up and blinked. The man was a row down, inspecting a little green booklet. "Papers out," the man snapped, handing the booklet back and moving to the next row of airplane seats. Merlin dug his own Viaticus out of his pocket. _Breathe. No one can tell. No one can tell._ The young warlock steadied his breathing and sat up. He couldn't afford to look suspicious. The man had handed Merlin's neighbor his booklet back, and he held out a hand for Merlin's, regarding Merlin with narrowed eyes. Merlin lifted his head and met the man's eyes fearlessly. Merlin tucked his ticket into the book and handed it over. "Hmm." the man hummed, scanning Merlin's Viaticus. Merlin watched with a pounding heart. "Never been away from home before, boy?"

"No, sir," Merlin said. The man looked at it for a moment longer then handed it back.

"London, eh?" Merlin nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Safe travels, then."

"Thank you." Merlin managed a shaky smile and tucked his Viaticus back into his coat pocket, letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He would have to get used to Patroni if he was to live in London. The Patroni were specially trained to discover and arrest sorcerers and sorceresses. They'd been to Armagh before. He'd just never been so close to one before.

"Please remain seated and fasten your seat belts. Descent will begin in five minutes." Merlin slid his window cover open to peer out over the city and his fingers tangled themselves in the ends of the red scarf.

* * *

The weird feeling in Merlin's stomach was starting to dissipate. Despite the Patroni mingling with Camelot's citizens, he shivered with excitement. Outside the airport cars and buses glittered in the pale sunlight. Shining buildings flashed by through the window of the car. Commuters filled the street on foot and bicycle. People flooded from stairways to the subway onto the walkways. Neon signs lit up shop windows and doorways. The city sights changed abruptly to residential streets, and Merlin's cab moved into a neighborhood wealthier than any Merlin had set foot in before. The cab pulled to a stop at a checkpoint, and Merlin subjected himself to another paper-check before the cab made its way down the winding streets to Gaius' apartment.

"Castrum Row?" the cabbie asked. Merlin nodded and handed him the fare.

"Thanks," he said distractedly and scrambled out of the cab, tugging his ungainly trunk after him. 104B... Merlin's eyes roamed over the buildings, and he might have missed the two Patroni and their captive passing through a gap in the buildings if it hadn't been for the sound of boots scuffing against the gravel. Merlin spun about, and a breath caught in his throat when he saw the man held up by both arms between the burly officers.

"On your knees, sorcerer," one of the men spat, forcing his captive to the ground. The accused man bent his head, and Merlin scooted out of sight, heart pounding. That man had magic? He pressed his back to the wall, hoping desperately that neither of the men had seen him. There was more scuffling, as if the man were trying to writhe free of his captors, then Merlin heard a sound even he, an boy from the suburbs of Armagh, had learned to recognize in this time; the soft crack of a silenced pistol. Merlin lifted his trunk wholly off the ground and fled across the grass, his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

_Oh god... I'm going to die here. They'll kill me!_ Merlin stopped at the bottom of the stairs to building 104. He fought to steady his breathing. He could feel panic rising in his throat and clutched at the stair rail. _What was I thinking? They'll find out. It won't take a day._ The warlock found himself wrapping his scarf around his fingers again, worrying at its ends. He couldn't turn back now. There was a stamp on his Viaticus. Like every traveler in Great Britain, he had declared his intent before flying and filed the necessary papers. The Patroni knew he was planning to stay the year. If he went back now, they would get suspicious. If he stayed... they would find him. He felt sick.

"Merlin?" Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around so fast he nearly stumbled and found himself facing at an older man with a kindly, lined face, searching blue eyes, and a head of shock-white hair.

"Gaius!" he gasped, staring at his uncle with wide eyes.

"I thought you weren't coming until Wednesday," Gaius said.

"I-it is Wednesday." Merlin stammered. The older man's bewilderment seemed to disappear when he took a good look at at Merlin.

"Merlin, you look like you're about to collapse. Let me take that." He reached for the trunk.

"It's fine. M'alright," Merlin muttered, clutching the handle so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He belatedly realized that his hands were shaking.

"Alright, alright. Let's get you inside," Gaius said. He put a hand on Merlin's shoulder and steered him up the stairs to the apartment.

"Sit down. I'll get you something to eat," Gaius said, ushering Merlin into his apartment and shutting the door behind them. Merlin let his trunk fall against the wall. He blinked like an owl when Gaius flicked the lights on in the kitchen and busied himself with assembling a meal for his nephew. Merlin shakily sank into an armchair and ran both hands through his already tousled dark hair. Gaius had known him since he was a baby. He didn't know. Hunith couldn't tell her brother over the internet; email and calls were often monitored. Merlin fought down the rising panic and nausea. Gaius wouldn't turn his own nephew in... would he? And yet... He was one of Uther Pendragon's own advisors...

Moments later, the older man returned with a cup of hot tea and a sandwich. He sat down across from Merlin with a reassuring smile familiar from years of video calls. Merlin took the tea with both hands in hopes of stilling their trembling, and uncle and nephew were silent for a moment. "Are you alright?" Gaius asked at length. His voice was familiar, and it calmed the teen marginally. He took a shaky breath.

"Yeah," he said. "Thanks."

"What happened?" Gaius asked. Merlin looked away uneasily. He set the tea down for a moment and fumbled for the letter in his pocket, letting the question hang.

"This is for you," he said, pushing it across the table. He could almost feel his uncle's concern. Gaius looked fixedly at him for a moment before taking the letter and opening it. Merlin sipped the tea in silence while Gaius scanned the letter. At length, Gaius set the letter down, and to Merlin's utter astonishment, the older man's eyes flashed gold briefly, and the letter became a little pile of ash. Merlin nearly dropped his cup. His mother might have left that bit out when she told him Gaius could help.

"Y-you... you just..."

"Keep your voice down." Gaius reprimanded, leaning across the table, reminding Merlin poignantly of just how precarious the situation was for... well... both of them. Gaius reached across the table and gave Merlin's shoulder a squeeze. "Listen to me. I know you're afraid, but Hunith did right to send you here." Merlin shivered and looked down.

"There was a man-behind the apartments." He swallowed. "He... The Patroni... they-"

"Merlin," Gaius's firm voice made him lift his head and meet the older man's eyes. "That man made an attempt on Uther Pendragon's life." Merlin curled his fingers tight around his cup of tea and nodded. "You will be safe here." Gaius sad quietly, giving Merlin's shoulder another brief squeeze and letting go. "I promise."

* * *

"So, how is the famous Camelot?"

"Er... big." Merlin offered weakly.

"Met any girls yet?" Will asked with a smirk. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Will, I've been here eight hours. What d'you think?" His friend shrugged.

"Really, Merlin, I thought even you would be able to pick up one or two in Camelot. I hear they're easy in your area."

"I have a mute button, and I will use it," Merlin retorted, though there was no real annoyance in his voice. It was soothing for his frayed nerves to have so familiar a face sitting across from him, even if Will couldn't be there in person. He'd hardly been gone a day, and already he ached for little Armagh, despite the growing hostility that had recently developed towards him.

"Ohhhh, I'm scared now." Will arched a disbelieving eyebrow. The teasing glint faded from his eyes. "But really, how's Camelot? D'you like it?" There was an edge to his voice that Merlin knew all too well. The two friends knew better than to openly discuss magic over the internet.

"It's alright," he said with a shrug. Will's eyes narrowed. "Gaius _knows_ me, of course." he added quickly with significant emphasis. "So it's not all new and weird."

"Right, your uncle." Will nodded, but Merlin didn't miss the way some of the tension eased form his friend's posture. "Isn't he some sort of secret MI5 agent or something? You're living right next to Uther Pendragon's place, yeah?" The mischievous grin returned to Will's face, and Merlin couldn't help grinning back.

"You have no idea," he said. Will opened his mouth to respond and started when a voice in the background shouted something. He cringed.

"I've got to go," he said, flicking a look over his shoulder. A chill settled over Merlin's heart again. He'd been around Will's house enough to see the way his friend behaved when his mother's boyfriend was there.

"Will," he said, seeing his friend's hand reach for the computer mouse. Will looked up at the screen. "Be careful." Merlin said, his voice low and anxious. The ghost of a smile flitted across Will's face.

"Look who's talking," he said lightly. "I'll catch you later, alright, mate?" Will flipped him a lazy two fingered salute and ended the call.

Merlin sat in front of the computer screen for several minutes after Will left, trying to tamp down the growing ache in his chest. It seemed almost unbelievable that just that morning Merlin had been saying goodbye to his mother in an Airport in Ireland. It was an incredible relief, of course that Gaius understood, but he hadn't quite calmed Merlin's fears regarding the Patroni. The dark haired teen could still hear the soft crack of a silenced pistol ringing out on the silent street.

Merlin's uncle had been calm, reassuring, and encouraging. Once Merlin had gotten over the initial shock of his introduction to Camelot, Gaius had shown his nephew around the apartment. It was a spacious and immaculately clean home with a customized consulting room for Gaius' medical practice just to the right of the door. A neat bedroom was waiting for Merlin down the hall. Once Gaius had provided his nephew with a set of towels and showed him the bathroom next door to his room, he left the teen to unpack and rest from his trip. Merlin closed his laptop lid and tucked himself up against the wall, burying his face in his pillow. Even it seemed strange. It had the unfamiliar, clean smell that everything in Gaius' home had. _It's a year... only a year. I can do anything for a year,_ he told himself wearily. Gaius would show him how to control his magic... then he'd go home. Home to Will and his mother, to the old, creaky school in Armagh and his own room.


	3. Of Kings and Warlocks

Camelot's secondary school was immaculately clean. Merlin almost felt that he was committing a crime, trekking into the hall and dripping all over the floor. The school was only blocks from Gaius' apartment, but the rain outside had pooled in every crack and crevice of the street. Merlin shrugged off his wet slicker and tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his stiff new shirt as he headed down the hall in search of his first classroom. In Armagh, he had always worn a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt. No one had really cared for dress-code there. Gaius had taken him out to find clothes appropriate for Camelot school's dress code the day before. The only piece of his own clothing Merlin was allowed to wear was his red scarf. His hands kept drifting distractedly to the ends of the scarf when he started to grow nervous again.

Merlin's first class was a recent history and politics course-no doubt another long lecture on the Great Uprising and Uther's rebellion. As if he hadn't heard and seen enough anti-magic demonstration already. Since the incident with the Patroni on Gaius' street, Merlin had kept to his room most of the time, venturing outside only to take the trash down or follow Gaius on errands. Today was the first time he'd gone further than a block without his uncle.

"Seats, please." The instructor, and balding man with sharp features, thin gray hair, and a pointed beard, rose from his chair as the students filed in. A hush fell over the room, and Merlin found himself one of the few people still standing and quickly slid into the nearest seat. A dark haired girl took the seat beside him and glanced over at her desk-mate. Her gray-green eyes lit with curiosity. Merlin shifted a bit, uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

"Er... hi." He offered her a hand. "I'm Merlin."

"Sorry." The dark haired girl's eyes darted away briefly. "Didn't mean to stare, but... you're new here, aren't you?" She took his hand. "I'm Morgana Cornwall.(1)"

"Pleased to meet you." Merlin grinned. "Yeah, I'm Gaius' nephew. Arrived just last week."

"Gaius's nephew!" Morgana echoed, her face lighting up with recognition. "He mentioned you were coming. I'd almost forgotten! Nice to meet you, Merlin."

"Morgana," The instructor's voice cut through their conversation sharply. Merlin shot her a guilty look, but Morgana only smiled back.

"Sorry Geoffrey."

"That's Mr. Monmouth to you," the man replied with a stern look that would have made Merlin cringe. Morgana, however, was unfazed.

"Yes, sir," she replied promptly, setting out her text on her desk with an expression of perfect attentiveness. When the instructor turned away Morgana flicked a sideways glance at Merlin, her eyes sparkling with energy and amusement, and Merlin suddenly felt a lot more at ease. He grinned back at her and set his own textbook on the desk just in time to look up at Geoffrey with a matching innocent expression. Perhaps Camelot's school wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

That impression lasted only as long as the class. The rain had let up outdoors, and Merlin had the next period off, so he found a mostly dry spot in the shelter of a tree and settled down to read the his history text for Mr. Monmouth. Several other students had wandered out onto the grass, and a group of them was gathering near Merlin's tree, obviously a group familiar to the school since the other students left them alone, despite the noise they were making. Merlin kept his nose buried in his book. Definitely not his sort of group.

"Go the other way, idiot. I can't aim with the sun in my eyes," one of the boys shouted. His companions laughed loudly.

"Keep going, keep going!"

"More to the left,"

"Hold it higher." Merlin looked up with a scowl. Would _nobody_ tell the idiots to shut up? He was debating the pros and cons of doing just that when a sharp_ crack_ made him start violently. The leader of the group, a sturdily built blond, was standing straight, a small pistol in his hand, and it was leveled at a thick piece of cardboard. Merlin noticed the orange cap on the gun's nozzle and let out a breath. Only a BB gun then. From behind the piece of cardboard a head of tousled brown hair appeared.

"Hang on! I haven't put it down yet!" the small boy said, staring at him in shock.

"Keep moving!" the blond gestured with his gun. He leveled it again, and the brown haired boy's eyes widened.

"Oy!" The boy's head disappeared behind the board again.

"Come on, run!" the blond called, firing off another round. The boys behind him laughed at the following yelp of surprise when another BB embedded itself in the board. Merlin got to his feet, leaving his textbook in the grass, and stepped out towards the boy who was fast approaching Merlin's tree. The boy stumbled on a rock. Merlin caught the cardboard before it could fall on top of him. He turned to face the blond.

"Come 's enough," he said levelly.

"What?" The blond boy tilted his head and regarded Merlin with a raised eyebrow. He had the puzzled expression of a child who'd never been told 'no' before.

"You've had your fun, my friend," Merlin said. The small brown haired boy stared up at Merlin as if he had just sprouted wings.

"Do I know you?" the blond demanded, tucking his pistol into his belt as he strode over.

"Er... I'm Merlin." Merlin held out his hand. The blond ignored it.

"So I don't know you."

"No." Merlin let his hand drop. _Brilliant. Figures that I would run into the biggest prat in the school on my first day,_ he thought wryly.

"Yet you called me friend," the blond stated.

"That was my mistake," Merlin amended.

"Yes, I think so." The blond's voice was laced with condescension.

"Yeah. I've never had a friend who could be such an ass," Merlin added, unable to resist. He turned to retrieve his school book, determined to walk straight back inside and find a quiet room where he could read.

"Nor I one who could be so stupid," the blond retorted jauntily. Something about the blond's voice made Merlin turn back around, eyes narrowing angrily. "Tell me _Merlin_, do you know how to walk on your knees?"

"Nope," Merlin ground out. _He's not worth it. He's not worth it._

"Would you like me to help you?" the teen asked, that arrogant smirk still plastered across his face. One of his burly friends snickered.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Merlin met the blond's gleaming eyes unflinchingly and felt a smile of his own tugging at his lips. There was a ripple of laughter from the other boys, and the blond snorted.

"Why?" the blond laughed. "What are you going to do to me?"

"You have no idea," Merlin said, taking a step back. He could take this idiot out with no effort. He wasn't bluffing... but they didn't know that. It wasn't as if he could just use magic on the arrogant prat. But he wanted more than anything to wipe that smirk off the blond's face.

"Be my guest!" The blond spread his arms, his smirk widening into a mocking grin. "Come on." Merlin gave him a disbelieving look. He really was an idiot. Just raring for a fight, this one. Walk away. Just walk away. Merlin glanced over his shoulder at the abandoned school book. "Come on." The blond mocked, taking a step closer. That was the last straw. Merlin straightened up, and without a second thought took a swing at the prat's smirking face. It wasn't a moment before he found himself with his arm twisted painfully behind his back. He squirmed, but the blond only held tighter.

"I could have you arrested for that," he said. _Who does he think he is-the king? _Merlin twisted furiously in his grip and only succeeded in making his arms hurt worse

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure your dad's best friends with Uther, hm?" Merlin sniped back sarcastically.

"Nope," the blond replied smugly as he forced Merlin to his knees. "My dad _is_ Uther."

* * *

**AN:** (1) Morgana's last name comes from her supposed father, Gorlois. According to the Welsh Arthurian legend, Gorlois was the Duke of Cornwall.


	4. Might and Magic

Water dripped from the ceiling into a wide channel. A pale, thin beam of light shone through the storm drain above Merlin's head, and the boy could hear the wind howling. _Merlin..._

"Hullo?" Merlin's eyes darted from one end of the damp tunnel to the other. He stood very still, listening for the sound of footsteps or another person breathing. Merlin conjured up a little blue light and cautiously sent it floating down the tunnel, but there was no one there. He was alone. _Merlin..._ "I'm right here!" Nothing. Only the soft drip of water splashing into a nearby puddle. "What do you want?" Merlin shouted. "Where are you?" Something flickered at Merlin's feet. The teen looked down at the puddle by his shoe, and staring back at him was a single, brilliant gold eye.

The dark haired boy started awake in his room with a shout. The strange voice was still ringing in his ears. He scrubbed a hand across his face and flopped back against his pillow. Wonderful. He'd been in Camelot just over a week now and he was already going mad. It wasn't the first time Merlin had dreamed of the dark passage under the street and heard voices in his head. I suppose next I'll start talking to myself, he thought wearily, covering his ear with his pillow at the sound of dishes clinking in the kitchen. A pale ray of sunlight shone through the slats of his blinds onto his face. He really had no desire to face Gaius this morning. The physician had been furious.

"For pity's sake, Merlin! I let you out of my sight for one morning and you get yourself in a fight with Arthur Pendragon?" he'd snapped the moment he marched Merlin out of the school, one hand clamped on the skinny teen's shoulder as if he was afraid Merlin would run off.

"He was asking for it."

"That is no excuse!" Gaius' eyes had flashed. "Hunith told me you had a penchant for trouble, but this? Do you know how long it took me to convince the Patroni you didn't know who he was?" It made Merlin shudder, even now, remembering uniformed men who had taken him firmly by either arm-just as they had the sorcerer they'd shot-and marched him into a solitary room where he was searched him for weapons then locked in. He'd been alone for two agonizing hours until Gaius arrived to retrieve him.

Merlin lay still until he caught the smell of coffee drifting down the hall.

"Morning," Gaius greeted him when he wandered into the kitchen. A plate and cup of coffee were waiting for the teen at the table. Merlin looked guiltily over at Gaius.

"Thanks." He took his seat and kept his eyes fixed on his plate while he ate.

"Merlin," Gaius sat down across from him. Merlin darted a glance up at his uncle. "You must be careful," Gaius said earnestly. Merlin swallowed.

"I will be," he promised in a tight voice. There was a moment of silence. "I'm sorry," he added almost inaudibly. Gaius sighed.

"I know you are." Merlin wrapped his hands around the warm mug and stared down at his drink. "It will get easier." Gaius gave Merlin a tired smile. "Just... stay out of Arthur's way, alright?"

* * *

Merlin felt his ears burning furiously when he felt Morgana's gaze on him. He supposed it was too much to ask that Morgana had heard what had happened between him and Arthur... or for that matter that she wasn't as enamored with the arrogant blond as nearly every other girl in the school seemed to be. He kept his head down. He'd thought at first that it could've been worse. He'd finished out his last period and been assigned to collecting trash. Many students had gone home already since there was only one period left. Most of the rooms were open and the bins mainly had paper in them. Of course the first person Merlin ran into was the only friendly acquaintance he had at school so far. Morgana was eyeing him with something he couldn't quite read-probably wondering how he'd been stupid enough to get himself a detention when the year had barely started. One of her friends giggled, and Merlin took that as his cue to stuff a bag hurriedly into his bin and hurry out the door. Just great. Merlin was having a hard time imagining how he could possibly have made more of a mess in his first week of school. The though had hardly crossed his mind when he turned a corner and ran straight into another student and promptly lost his grip on the bag.

"Sorry!" Merlin gasped.

"No, not it's alright. It was my fault. I wasn't looking." The girl, Merlin's age, with dark skin and friendly brown eyes smiled at him. "I'll get that."

"No, it's fine, I'll-" But the girl was already collecting the spilled papers. She stuffed them into the bag and handed it back to him. "Er... thanks," Merlin said sheepishly, taking it. He could feel his ears growing warm again.

"You're Merlin, aren't you?" the girl asked.

"Yeah... er..." Merlin shifted. Lovely. His reputation preceded him. "But most people just call me idiot."

"No, not at all." The girl's eyes widened. "I'm Guinevere, but everyone calls me Gwen." She hesitated, then in a rush added, "I saw what you did yesterday." She looked away shyly. "I.. thought it was really brave."

"It was stupid," Merlin said with a shrug.

"Well, I'm glad it didn't really come to blows," Gwen said. "You weren't going to beat him." Merlin huffed.

"Oh, I could beat him," he said. Gwen raised an eyebrow.

"You could..." She tilted her head slightly. "Because you don't look like one of those big muscly fellows."

"Er... thanks?" Merlin frowned.

"No, no, I mean... I'm sure you're stronger than you look." Gwen backtracked quickly. "It's just... Arthur's one of those rough, tough save-the-world kind of guys. And you..." Gwen's face flushed at Merlin's quizzical expression. "Well... you don't look like that." she finished, looking thoroughly embarrassed. Merlin fought the grin that threatened to spread across his face. He assumed a serious look and leaned forward a bit.

"I'm in disguise," he whispered conspiratorially. Gwen blinked at him, then let out a giggle.

"Are you?" Her eyes sparkled. "Well maybe you should give Arthur some lessons. I'm not sure he's got the hang of it yet." Her face grew serious again. "But really, I'm glad you stood up to Arthur. He's a bully, and everyone thought you were a real hero."

"Really?"

"Merlin!" Both Gwen and Merlin froze. Geoffrey Monmouth was marching down the hall towards them. "Have you finished yet?"

"Yes, sir. Er... Gwen was just..."

"I was asking him about the homework assignment in math," Gwen improvised quickly.

"Really?" Geoffrey arched an eyebrow. "Why didn't you ask your father then, Guinevere? Aren't you in his class?"

"I... I couldn't find him," Gwen stammered.

"Well you can ask Merlin after he's finished his work, can't you?"

"Of course. Sorry, Mr. Monmouth." Gwen said hurriedly._ Later,_ she mouthed to Merlin, and hurried out of sight around a corner. Under Geoffrey's watchful eye, Merlin hefted his bag and headed for the nearest classroom.

* * *

_So much for staying out of Arthur's way,_ Merlin thought. It would be just his luck today to end up in the one room where Arthur was hanging out with his cronies. The dark haired teen kept his eyes fixed firmly on the bin he was emptying. God, he wanted to wipe that irritating smirk off the idiot's face. Arthur whispered something to one of his companions and both of them started snickering. Merlin stuffed a new bag in the trash bin and turned to go.

"You missed one, beanpole," one of the boys announced loudly. Merlin gritted his teeth. He turned slowly around, trying to keep his face void of emotion. Arthur's companion pointed to another bin in the corner. Merlin stalked over to the bin, and as he reached down to take out the bag, he felt something hit the back of his was a snort of poorly stifled laughter. He went still and very slowly reached up to feel the spot. His fingers touched a wet clod. Don't give them the satisfaction. He took the spit-ball, dropped it in his trash bag, emptied the bin, and made his way over to the door.

"How's your knee walking coming along?" Arthur's voice stopped him in the doorway. He turned around again and fixed the blond with a burning look. Arthur was grinning that idiotic grin again. That was it. Merlin lowered his eyes for a moment, pausing to set down the trash bag, and as he did his eyes flashed gold briefly. Arthur's shoelaces tied themselves tightly around the leg of the nearest chair. He straightened up. _Let's see how you like this, prat._

"I don't know. I've only had one lesson," he said, stepping closer and fixing his gaze on Arthur again. The other boy's eyes widened comically, but he recovered himself quickly enough.

"Oh, so you want me to show you again?" he drawled.

"I'd like to see you try," Merlin replied. He managed to keep a straight face as Arthur drew himself up.

"That can be arranged." The blond lunged for Merlin who stepped back neatly and watched Arthur fall on his face with a muffled yelp of surprise. Merlin choked on a laugh. Arthur had rolled onto his back and was fumbling with his shoelace.

"Going to have me arrested?" Merlin asked, grinning outright.

"Oh, you are going to pay for this, runt." Arthur snarled, kicking his shoe off and scrambling up. Merlin backed into the hallway and the blond followed him with shoulders squared. "Running away?" he mocked.

"From you?" Merlin retorted. Arthur lunged. Merlin sidestepped, and with a surreptitious tug of magic, sent the mop and bucket he'd been using earlier clattering to the floor. Arthur tripped over the bucket, and Merlin snatched the mop up off the floor. He clipped Arthur on the shoulder with the handle as the blond struggled to his feet and sent him to his knees. "Want to give up yet?" he demanded. Arthur's face twisted into a snarl and he surged to his feet.

"Arthur?" Morgana's voice started Merlin. He looked up to see the dark haired girl rounding the corner, looking with wide eyes on the scene before her. That moment of distraction was all that Arthur needed. He surged to his feet and twisted the mop out of Merlin's hands in one deft movement, crack, the handle connected painfully with Merlin's head, then across his back, and finally on his shoulder. Merlin sank to the ground, clutching his throbbing head. Stars burst across his vision.

"Stop it!" Morgana's voice shouted. "Leave him alone!"

"Shall we get Mr. Monmouth?" one of Arthur's companions asked, leering at Merlin. Arthur shook his head.

"Let him be. I think he's learned his lesson. Haven't you, Merlin?" The only response Arthur got was a groan. Merlin leaned back against the wall. "You're an idiot, but you're a brave one. I'll give you that much." Arthur said, and Merlin scowled at him as his vision came back into focus. "May want to finish with the trash before Monmouth gets back, though." The blond teen added with another of those annoying smirks. With that, he strolled cheerfully off down the hallway with his two idiot followers.

"What was that for?" Morgana snapped.

"Come on." Arthur said, and Merlin stared when Arthur slung an arm around Morgana's shoulders in a familiar manner. "Your little friend will get in trouble if Monmouth catches us chatting with him." Morgana shot an apologetic glance at Merlin, and the dark haired boy heard her voice angrily demanding an explanation as Arthur steered her out of sight.

* * *

"Sure you're going the right way, Merlin?" Merlin gritted his teeth.

"I'm pretty sure I can find my way home, thanks," he growled. As if his head wasn't hurting enough already without the prat's voice plaguing his ears.

"If you say so." Much to Merlin's annoyance, Arthur fell into step beside him, and they walked in silence for a moment.

"As lovely as your company is," Merlin said at length with biting sarcasm. "I'd really rather walk home alone." Arthur laughed.

"Don't flatter yourself. This is my way home too." Merlin groaned inwardly. Of course it is, he thought. "You're sure you aren't confused?" Arthur prompted again.

"Pretty sure, yeah." Merlin replied.

"Because I was beginning to worry that I'd killed whatever brain cells might've been left in here." Arthur gave Merlin's head a condescending pat. Merlin ducked away and glared at him.

"Worried about me? That's sweet of you," he said, moving out of arm's reach.

"I was more worried someone might try to sue for damages," Arthur retorted easily.

"Oh, don't worry. Gaius will find much more creative ways of making your life miserable." Merlin muttered. The blond suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Merlin paused to look back at him. The older boy's eyes were round.

"Gaius?" he echoed. "You're Gaius' nephew? So that's why Morgana was flipping out on me!"

"Nothing gets past you, hmm?" Merlin rolled his eyes. Arthur merely gaped at him.

"God, Gaius is going to kill me!"

"Don't worry. He'll kill me first," Merlin said. "You've got time to make your escape."

"So you're Gaius' nephew!" Arthur's shock disappeared as quickly as it had come. He was grinning again now. "That means we're neighbors."

"Oh, wonderful." Merlin said. "Going to throw me a welcoming party?"

"Don't need to." Arthur patted him on the shoulder. "Whole school knows you now." Merlin didn't bother shying away this time. He was pretty sure he'd trip if he made any sudden movements now.

"Lovely," he said. He stopped around the corner and leaned on the side of the apartment, closing his eyes against the increasing throb in his head. He heard Arthur's footsteps stop beside him.

"Sure you're alright?" Merlin was surprised to hear what sounded like genuine concern in the teen's voice.

"Yes. No thanks to you," he bit out and straightened up again.

"Might've hit a bit harder than I meant to." The other boy admitted with a shrug. Merlin gave him a dark look through narrowed eyes. To his surprise, the teen looked a bit guilty.

"Is that an apology?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't count on it," Arthur said, and the expression instantly vanished. "Don't suppose there's any way you could not mention this to Gaius, is there?" he asked.

"Have you ever tried lying to Gaius?" Merlin responded. Judging by Arthur's chagrined frown, he had. "Great. I'll leave the explaining to you, then."

"Well, none of this would've happened if you hadn't bloody well tied my shoelaces to that chair," the blond pointed out. "How did you even manage that anyway? I think I would've noticed if you'd crawled under the desk."

"Maybe you're not as observant as you thought." Merlin suggested. Arthur scowled at him.

"Well if you ever do that again-"

"You'll what?" Merlin crossed his arms over his chest and grinned insolently. Arthur stared at him for a moment.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" he said at last. Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"And you're a prat."

"Going to kiss and make up?" Merlin turned abruptly towards the voice. Morgana was standing just a few feet away, watching the exchange a facade of detached interest.

"Shut up, Morgana," Arthur said abruptly. He scowled at Merlin, then turned and marched up the path into his house. Morgana's eyes danced with amusement.

"Don't mind him," she said to Merlin. "Go home and get some ice for your head." She called after Arthur, "Did the mean boy hurt your feelings?"

"Morgana, if you weren't a girl, I would break your nose right now," Arthur snapped. He disappeared into the house. Morgana grinned back at Merlin, and to the dark haired boy's amazement followed Arthur inside and shut the door behind her.


	5. The Dragon's Call

It seemed for once in the day Merlin was in luck. Gaius was still away when he unlocked the door to the apartment and trudged in. Merlin was too tired to bother trying to unravel Morgana and Arthur's relationship. He dumped his backpack by the the door to his room, flopped down on his bed, and let his eyes drift shut.

"Merlin," A hand gripped Merlin's shoulder and he started awake with a gasp of pain. Gaius drew back with a puzzled expression.

"Er... sorry. You startled me." He rubbed his eyes and blinked at his uncle, trying to look innocent. Gaius' expression told him he'd failed spectacularly. He pushed himself into a sitting position and winced slightly at the pain in his shoulder.

"Shirt off," Gaius ordered in a tone that brooked no argument. Merlin looked guiltily down at his hands and after a moment tugged his shirt over his head. There was a red mark across his back, and a colorful bruise on his left shoulder.

"What happened?" Gaius asked quietly.

"Arthur," Merlin mumbled. The physician raised an eyebrow. "He didn't report me or anything." Merlin explained wearily. "Just... wanted a fight." Gaius took Merlin's chin with one hand and turned his nephew's head to inspect the side where a mark showed under dark hair. His hand brushed the spot where Arthur had caught Merlin with the mop handle. Merlin winced.

"Wait here." Gaius left the room and returned a moment later with a glass of water and a painkiller. Merlin took both gratefully, and Gaius sat down beside him on the bed. "Did you use magic?" he asked when Merlin finished the glass. The blunt question caught Merlin off guard.

"I..." He avoided his uncle's eyes. "He didn't see." He could picture the disapproving expression on Gaius' face without even looking up.

"Merlin... you must be more careful." Gaius' voice was full of concern.

"What's the point?" he muttered. "It doesn't matter if I learn to use it or not. It'll always be forbidden here."

"Merlin..."

"Why am I like this?" Merlin asked bitterly. "I was_ born_ this way. I couldn't ignore it if I tried, but it doesn't matter where I go. Everyone is afraid of it." He began crumpling his shirt between his hands restlessly. "Is it wrong?" he demanded, fixing Gaius with a pleading look. His voice was half accusatory and half desperate. "Is there something wrong with me? Are... are they right to be afraid?"

"Merlin," Gaius reached out and freed Merlin's hands from the shirt he had unconsciously twisted tight around them. "Never think that."

"Why then?" Merlin gritted his teeth, embarrassed at the way his voice broke over the words, and turned his eyes back on his knees.

"There is no justification for what Uther has done," Gaius said quietly. "But people were afraid. England was a war torn country when you were born. The sorcerers who ruled before Uther did easily as much damage as he has today. Their reign was short, but they ravaged the land in a blind search for revenge, and no man common or magical alike was safe. Uther may be a harsh ruler, but he has brought peace and stability to a shaken people." Gaius paused. "Perhaps now is not the time to change things. Perhaps this country needs time to heal." Merlin looked briefly up at Gaius, and he knew that his uncle had left unspoken what they both knew was true. They were far from the only ones living in fear under Uther's peace. How many more children, like Merlin, had grown up afraid of themselves in the oppressive reign? How many adults now hid their gifts to stay alive as Gaius did? Merlin's uncle stood and took the empty glass from the bed. "Get some rest, Merlin. Let me know if your head is still bothering you tomorrow."

* * *

_Drip... drip..._ Merlin stood very still in the dark, damp tunnel. He'd had vivid dreams before, but never recurring as this one, and never so poignant. Of course, he knew what came next. He waited and listened. _Merlin..._ Just as before. The same deep, as if it weren't even really there-as if perhaps he was imagining it.

"I can hear you!" Merlin shouted irritably. "How do I find you?"

Merlin blinked open his eyes. It was pitch black in his room. He wasn't sure why he'd woken up. There was no sound from Gaius' room or the main room. Something pricked at the back of his consciousness. On impulse, he got to his feet, pulled on his boots and jacket, looped the blue scarf hurriedly round his neck, and grabbed a torch from his desk. Gaius was sound asleep, but Merlin kept his footsteps light as he crept out into the main room. He reached out to take an apartment key from the hook on the door and winced when it clattered loudly to the floor. He stood motionless, listening for any sounds of Gaius waking, then snatched it off the floor and slipped outside, locking the door behind him.

The Patroni were out on the street, of course, making their usual rounds. Merlin kept his back pressed to the wall as they passed. He really didn't want to know what they would do to him if he was caught breaking curfew. Gaius would probably kill him if he found out, but something was prompting Merlin to find this voice. An unspoken intuition was leading him towards it-as if he knew where it was somehow deep inside; something was tugging him in the right direction. His feet led him through the gated neighborhood to the very edge of the border where the Patroni marked your Viaticus each time you came or went. Merlin hesitated a few houses from the gate. Street lights illuminated the fence, and the top was lined with barbed wire. That would be easy enough to get over, but Merlin knew without ever having tried that there were alarms on the fence. No one got in or out of this neighborhood without alerting the Patroni. He stood, staring at the impassable barrier. Merlin... Merin clenched his jaw. _I'm trying to find you, alright? Maybe you could give me a little help here?_ A gust of wind played around the warlock, tugging at his scarf. Merlin sighed and was turning to head back when something caught his eye. A few feet away, was a small unoccupied house with a short, rickety white fence. In one corner of the backyard was a little shed. Its doors were old and covered in flaking white paint, but they were secured shut with a heavy metal lock. Merlin frowned. He'd always assumed that all the houses in Uther's protected neighborhood were occupied. He ducked through the slats of the fence and approached the little shed cautiously. He glanced around to be sure no one was watching then with quick flash of his eyes undid the master-lock.

Merlin could hear the soft dripping of water as soon as he stepped inside. There was a little trapdoor at the back of the shed. As a precaution, he locked the door from the inside before lowering himself through the trapdoor. When his feet touched the ground, he instantly recognized the dark, damp tunnel he found himself in as the one from his dream. Now the warlock was sure he was going the right direction. The pull was growing stronger with each step. Merlin flicked on his torch and shone it around the dark tunnel, searching for the source of the voice, but as before, saw nothing. He didn't hear the voice calling his name any longer. There was only one way to go, so he pressed on into the darkness. Soon pale beams of moonlight from the surface vanished, and the path widened out.

All at once, Merlin felt the subconscious guiding pull vanish, and the tunnel opened into a massive underground cavity easily as large as some of the caves he and Will had explored back in Ireland. If it had not been for the unnaturally smoothed sides and long scorch marks on the walls, he might have thought it was a cave. Several yards from where Merlin stood, the ground dropped away steeply into the darkness. _Well... that's it. I can't go any further._ Merlin stared into the open space. He'd been so sure. The pull had led him here. He could feel that this was where he was meant to go... and yet there was still nothing. Merlin's flashlight flickered.

"No, no no." Merlin gripped it tightly and flicked the switch on and off again, but the dimming light gave out and left him in the pitch black cavern. _Great. I get to walk back in the dark now._ Merlin sighed and pocketed it. "Well, I came," he called into the darkness. "Where are you?" Silence. _It's official. I've gone mad,_ Merlin concluded. He turned to go back, feeling for the wall. Then he heard something jangling in from the chasm. He stood still, listening with bated breath. It sounded like metal scraping against stone. The sound grew louder. Something was scratching against the stone walls. A gust of wind ruffled Merlin's hair. It was breathing... and judging from the noise it made... it was huge. Merlin froze. He didn't know where the edge was anymore. There was only one way to find the exit again. Drawing a steadying breath, he began to conjure a luminescent blue orb in one cupped hand, the other hand held up defensively, ready to use what instinctive magic he knew against whatever he might see.

"Greetings, young warlock," a low voice rumbled. Merlin's light flashed brilliantly into life, illumining the cave with an ethereal light. Merlin stared in undisguised shock. Before him crouched a massive golden-brown creature, leathery wings tucked against its scaly body. Its long, hooked claws rested only feet from Merlin. Around each leg was locked a thick, heavy chain etched with ancient runes-no doubt chains enhanced with magic to prevent the dragon from breaking free. Merlin knew intuitively that this creature was a being of powerful magical ability. The thought both thrilled and terrified him. The dragon lowered his head and one golden eye reflected the light of Merlin's orb. Blood pounded in Merlin's ears. He looked back at it, too stunned to move. A dragon. There was a dragon living under Camelot. The dragon's eyes narrowed in apparent amusement. "How small you are for so great a destiny." he said, blinking slowly at the awestruck boy. At the gleam in his eyes, Merlin felt marginally more at easy. He instinctively felt that he wasn't in any danger.

"Wh-What destiny?" he stammered.

"Your gift," the dragon replied. Merlin felt as if his heart had just leapt into his throat. The blue light flared brighter in response to his excitement.

"You... you know why I have it?" The dragon dipped his head in affirmation.

"Arthur Pendragon will become the leader who brings true peace back to the land." he informed the warlock. Merlin blinked at him.

"Er... great. What does that have to do with me?"

"Everything," the dragon replied. "It is your destiny to help Arthur accomplish this."

"Me?" Merlin's voice rose in disbelief. "I'm supposed to help Arthur?"

"Arthur faces many threats. Without your help, there will be no peace, and sorcerers and sorceresses will remain persecuted for many more generations."

"No. No, you must have the wrong person." Merlin shook his head vehemently. "Arthur's the son of Uther Pendragon. There's no way he'll ever allow sorcery back in the land. Have you met him? He's an idiot!" The dragon chuckled softly.

"He is yet young. You are both young. Perhaps it is your fate to change him."

"No. There is no way I'm going to help Arthur. He doesn't even like me," Merlin insisted. The dragon's eye gleamed and Merlin started back when he abruptly spread his wings.

"You cannot escape your destiny, young warlock," the dragon said, arching his neck as he too stepped back. He turned about and rose off the ground with one powerful beat of his wings.

"Wait!" Merlin scrambled after him, and the blue orb of light rose into the air after the dragon. "I need to know more!" His voice was lost in the sound of the dragon's wings and the clanking of his chains. In moments, the dragon had vanished into the chasm, and Merlin was left alone, the small orb of blue light floating above him, looking as lost and alone as he felt himself.


	6. To Save a Life

In the following weeks, drizzling rain turned to snow, and Gaius' practice grew busy with the beginning of the flu season. As a close advisor and trusted friend of Uther's, Gaius was the primary physician for members of Uther's closest circles, and he alone treated them. Merlin soon found himself running errands in the neighborhood, bringing deliveries to the residents while Gaius ran the clinic. The warlock rarely had spare time between schoolwork and helping Gaius. Nonetheless, it was good to get out and about Camelot, and his regular work as an errand runner meant that the Patroni soon stopped asking questions when they found him in various parts of town.

Merlin conscientiously avoided Arthur after talking to the dragon. He had turned its words over in his mind countless times and still they made no sense. Grand talk of destinies and reuniting the country belonged to far more important people than him. He might have magic, but he was still nothing more than a boy from the outskirts of Armagh. Bringing peace to England-safety to the magical community-the very magnitude of the task made him shudder. No one could do that-not now. Gaius was right; the country needed time to settle and heal. Arthur certainly wasn't going to bring any new golden era about. The spoiled teen probably didn't even realize anything was wrong with the world.

It was a particularly icy morning, and Merlin had slipped several times on the ice making his way back from delivering to a house at the far end of the neighborhood. He cut through several yards in an attempt to get back in time for class. The school yard was empty. Merlin sprinted across the snow-covered grass and nearly collided with another person who came suddenly around the corner.

"S-sorry!" Merlin gasped, scrambling back. The man stepped back with a tacit and icy expression. Merlin's stomach lurched when he recognized the Patronus issue uniform of and spotted the pistol at the man's hip. Routine Patroni outside of Uther's neighborhood only carried Tasers. Only higher ranking officers carried firearms. Look calm. Look normal. Merlin forced himself to meet the main's gaze. A pair of dark, strange eyes met his impassively. "I'm late for class." Merlin explained breathlessly. The Patronus regarded Merlin with open suspicion, and Merlin noticed somewhat detachedly that he wasn't wearing the shield-and-arrow insignia on his chest. Perhaps he was one of the private neighborhood guards? At last the man turned away and strode down the hall without a word. Merlin shuddered. He always hated interacting with the Patroni, but something about this one had unnerved him more than usual. He sent a silent prayer to what powers might be that the man wasn't permanently assigned to Camelot's secondary school.

Gwen's father, Thomas Smith, was ten minutes into his math class when Merlin finally made it to the room.

"Merlin," Mr. Smith looked up as the teen tried to slip inconspicuously into class. "Excellent. You can work with Arthur and Gareth."

"Oh. Lucky me," Merlin said, glancing over at the two boys. He heard Gwen's stifled snort of laughter and grinned. Arthur gave him a withering look.

"They will explain the project to you," Mr. Smith said, ignoring Merlin's comment. "Have a seat." Gwen caught Merlin's eye and gave him sympathetic look as he passed her desk and took a seat at Arthur's desk.

"Page twenty-four," Arthur said curtly and returned to his notes. It was clear to Merlin that he wasn't getting any further explanation, so he dug his textbook out of his backpack. Mr. Smith resumed elaborating on the project, writing out an example on the board. Merlin skimmed over the assignment and began taking down his own notes. The moment Merlin set his loose homework papers on the desk, Gareth moved his arm, sending the entire pile fluttering to the floor. Merlin forced himself not to look at the boy's smug face and briefly contemplated the wisdom of magically gluing the seat of the idiot's pants to his chair. Instead, he leaned over to retrieve the papers. Boys like Gareth, he thought, lent credence to his theory that brain volume was inversely proportionate to muscle mass.

"Merlin," Smith's voice called out sharply. Merlin sat up abruptly, and his head collided painfully with something hard.

"Ow!" he yelped. Arthur and Gareth snickered.

"Sorry," Gareth said with a stupid smile, moving his elbow out of the way. Merlin looked up at the instructor through watering eyes.

"Would you care to explain to the class what step I should take next?" Smith asked Merlin. The warlock squinted at Smith's writing on the chalkboard.

"Er..."

"I expect your full attention for the rest of the period, Merlin," Smith said curtly.

"Yes, sir," Merlin said tersely. Gareth leaned over to whisper something in Arthur's ear. The resulting expression on Arthur's face gave Merlin a very bad feeling about his upcoming week. Of all the people to be grouped with... He and Gwen had worked on their math homework together since the first week of classes. Why couldn't it have been her? At least he knew she was good at it-not to mention that they actually got along. He couldn't speak for Arthur, but it was common knowledge that Gareth's only real interest at school was the rugby team. Merlin doubted the stocky teen had ever had an inspiring thought in his life. Said brilliant specimen of humanity was, in fact, currently stealing none-too-subtle glances at Merlin's take home quiz. Merlin scowled at him and tucked the paper out of sight in his binder.

Voices rose outside in the hallway, and there were heavy footsteps near the door. Merlin over at the door and saw the silhouette of a uniformed figure through the crack: a Patronus guard, no doubt on the usual patrol of the halls. Then he heard a sharp crack and the figure vanished. Merlin tensed. He would have said it sounded like a gunshot... but who would fire a gun inside the school? Frankly he'd only ever seen one guard at the school with a gun, and the guard he'd seen today made two. Perhaps something had broken? Several other students looked up to search for the source of the noise. Smith paused briefly, glanced at the class, then resumed the lesson as if nothing had happened.

Moments later the classroom door opened. Merlin's insides twisted unpleasantly. The Patronus from the back of the school had walked into the room.

"Can I help you?" Smith asked. The man didn't answer. The pistol that had been in his belt was in his hand now. When he turned towards Merlin's desk, the warlock forgot to breathe. He'd been found out. He was going to be shot-here in front of the whole class. He gripped the edge of the table and darted a panicked look at the instructor. "Excuse me," Smith stepped away from the chalkboard. "Is there a problem?" The man spared Smith a brief glance then raised his pistol and pointed it-not at Merlin but Arthur Pendragon.

"Stand up." His voice was low and threatening. All three of the boys at the desk got slowly to their feet, and Merlin and Gareth backed away a step.

"Put the gun down." Smith's voice was surprisingly level. "Hurting Arthur won't solve anything." He moved towards the man who calmly cocked his weapon. The instructor stopped in his tracks.

"Don't come any nearer," the man said softly. Merlin heard the wail of sirens in the distance. How far away were they, he wondered. Was there any way they would get here before something disastrous happened? His eyes flicked to the door, and he felt for a moment like he was going to be sick. He could see a pair of boots just around the frame. This man wasn't a Patronus. The school guard had been shot. Gareth, who was still within arm's reach of Arthur, shifted closer.

"Gareth," Merlin's voice was tight. _Don't..._ the word died on his lips.

"Step away, boy," the armed man snarled. Gareth didn't move._ He's going to get himself killed,_ Merlin thought, searching frantically for some way to trip the gunman or distract him for a moment. Gareth lunged for the gun. The man didn't even move a finger in response. His eyes flashed a dark molten gold, and Arthur's friend was flung back against the wall. He hit it with a dull thud and crumpled limply to the ground. Merlin curled his hand into a fist to still its trembling. Magic. This man had just signed a death warrant. He wasn't taking a hostage. He was here on a suicidal mission for revenge.

"Anyone else?" The gunman's voice was cold, emotionless. Nobody moved; Arthur looked pale as a sheet, but he didn't flinch when the man leveled his gun. "Tell Uther that Michael Collins sends his regards," he said. His finger tightened on the trigger. Merlin acted on pure impulse. His eyes flashed, and the room around him suddenly slowed. The gunman's finger pulled tight on the trigger, and Merlin threw himself at Arthur. As soon as he collided with the other teen, everything seemed to happen at once. The firearm went off. There was a flurry of wild motion in the hall, and several more armed men swarmed in as Merlin and Arthur crashed to the ground. A second gunshot rang out in the classroom. A third body hit the ground only inches from where Arthur and Merlin lay. The pistol fell from Michael Collins' hand, and around his head spread a glossy pool of blood. It seeped into the carpet. Someone screamed. A voice was shouting orders, and people were crowding about the desk under which the two teens were lying. Arthur shifted, and Merlin realized he was gripping the other boy's shirt tightly with one hand to keep him down.

"Sorry," he muttered, letting go. Arthur blinked, and the two boys stared at one another in a mixture of shock and disbelief. Then one of the guards was crouching over them, and for the first time in his life, Merlin felt a euphoric sense of relief on spotting the silver insignia of the Patroni gleaming on his chest.

"Are you hurt?" the man asked. Arthur recovered himself first.

"I'm alright," he answered, getting to his feet a bit shakily. Merlin, eyes still fixed on the motionless form of Michael Collins, nodded mutely. Arthur hesitated, then offered a hand to Merlin and helped the other boy up.

"Come on." The Patronus put a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "We'll take you outside. Your father is here." His gaze shifted to Merlin. "You'd better come too."

Merlin had never in his life seen such a swarm of Patroni in one place. Blue and red lights flashed everywhere about the school. Smith's math class was ushered outside by several armed guards to be questioned and calmed as necessary. Gareth too was back on his feet, looking a little pale and unsteady but mostly unharmed. Smith himself had left the classroom before Arthur and Merlin. He was talking to a tall gray haired man whom Merlin instantly recognized from national television as Uther Pendragon. Beside them stood Gaius, hands clasped before him, pale and silent. His eyes lit up when he spotted Merlin being led out to the ambulance by one of the Patroni. A medic settled Merlin and Arthur in the back of the vehicle and draped a blanket around each boy. Merlin gratefully tugged it around himself and huddled down against the cold. Gaius gripped the Uther's arm and began speaking urgently to him. Uther followed the physician's gaze, then the two made their way through the bustle of officers to the ambulance.

"Arthur, thank god!" Uther crouched in front of his son, gripping the boy's arms in what looked like a painfully tight hold. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," Arthur said hurriedly. The man released Arthur and gripped his shoulder briefly, with a relieved smile.

"Good, good." He suddenly turned on Merlin. "You. You're the boy who saved his life." His voice was so sincere that Merlin looked uncomfortably away.

"I..."

"Thank you." Without warning, Merlin's hand was caught in a bone crushing grip. "You are welcome to stay in Camelot as long as you like. Please, let me know if you have any trouble with your travel papers." Merlin could only nod in stunned astonishment. He was grateful when Gaius ushered Uther away to let the medical personnel check him over. Merlin shuddered despite the warmth of the blanket he had buried his hands in again. He followed the progress of a large snowflake as it drifted to the ground along and lit near his foot; clean, white, cold. He tried to focus on that. The image of Michael Collins bleeding out on the floor seemed to be burned permanently into his mind, and he blinked fiercely. Clean, white, cold. Not warm. Not red.

"That was stupid-what you did." Arthur said, breaking the silence and rousing Merlin from his dark thoughts. The warlock looked over at him and met a pair of blue eyes equally as troubled as he felt. Arthur's expression of wide eyed concern was almost comical. Merlin looked at him curiously. He was actually worried. If Merlin didn't know better, he would've thought the teen looked almost afraid. A grin spread across Merlin's face.

"At least we agree on something," he quipped. Arthur stared at him, then unexpectedly he grinned back and gave Merlin a shove.

"You're still an idiot," he declared, rolling his eyes.

"You're welcome." Merlin retorted, scooting away with a half-hearted glare.

"Merlin," Gaius interrupted the two. "Come, we're free to go home." He held out Merlin's worn brown jacket which had been left in the classroom. Merlin hesitated and glanced over at Arthur. The prat was smirking at him again.

"Aw, don't make him leave his security blanket, Gaius," he said plaintively. Merlin instantly got to his feet and took the jacket.

"Thanks, Gaius," he said. Before Arthur could react he turned dumped his blanket over the other boy's head. "Stay warm," he said cheerfully when Arthur emerged from the pile, blond hair sticking out at all angles. Whatever snarky comment Arthur was about to make was lost when the blond caught sight of Gaius' gobsmacked expression. He exchanged a glance with a barely composed Merlin, and both boys lost it in a fit of half-hysterical laughter.

"You, Merlin, are going to be the death of me," Gaius declared, taking his nephew's arm in a firm grip. Merlin ignored Gaius' slightly concerned look and followed his uncle's lead, leaving Arthur leaning against the side of the ambulance, shaking with laughter.


	7. Change

If Merlin thought he'd seen a lot of Patroni the day Michael Collins died, it was nothing compared to the infestation that descended upon Camelot the following week. Nearly every corner was occupied by a guard, and every one of the newly stationed Patroni was equipped with a firearm. The security at the neighborhood gates and within tightened significantly so that Merlin didn't dare attempt to visit the dragon, despite the countless questions he was itching to ask after his new interactions with Arthur. The school too acquired a new and heavy guard. Metal detectors were installed at every entrance to the school; even Arthur was obliged to leave his air-soft pistol at home-a side effect which Merlin honestly wasn't too sorry for. Aside from the security increase resulting from the attempt on Arthur's life, a number of Scandinavian ambassadors had arrived to negotiate with Uther. It was the first time Merlin had seen such a gathering, though Gaius told him this was not an uncommon event. The country had only been freed from the rule of The Pure a year after Merlin's birth. England was still reworking its foreign policies after being rocked by its violent civil war. The ambassadors were housed in a high-rise of first-class apartments within Uther's gated neighborhood, and security around them also was increased.

As it turned out, the security increases did not stop there. When Arthur returned to school after the weekend, he was tailed by a young man about a head taller than him with close-cropped reddish brown hair and serious gray-blue eyes. Arthur's shadow wore the silver shield-and-arrow insignia of the Patroni rimmed with a thin outline of gold-a feature Merlin had come to recognize as the symbol of Uther's personal guards. Arthur stalked irritably into Mr. Smith's class and took his seat beside Merlin without a word. His companion took up a position by the door and stood, surveying the classroom impassively.

"Who's your new friend?" Merlin couldn't help asking, suppressing a grin at Arthur's obvious disgruntlement.

"My father assigned me a personal bodyguard," Arthur informed him in a flat voice. Merlin looked over at the young guard.

"Must be a boring job," he commented. The man was standing upright and motionless by the classroom door.

"Probably." Arthur shrugged. "It's a bit scary, actually, how seriously he takes it." Noticing the piercing look that the Patronus was fixing him with, Merlin had to agree. In addition to his eyes that seemed to look straight through everyone, he was wearing Kevlar over his uniform and carried both a firearm and extra clip at his belt. It was hard not to be unnerved by his hawk-like watchfulness. Smith's math class, already subdued by the memory of the previous week, was unusually quiet for the rest of the period, and many of them flicked nervous glances at the Patronus from time to time. Even Smith seemed troubled by the atmosphere, and he dismissed the class a couple of minutes early, with instructions to meet with their groups to finish the previously assigned project. Merlin was more than happy to pack up his books and head for the door. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help remembering that a man's blood had been soaking into the same carpet beneath his feet only three days ago, and he half-wished that Smith would have moved him to a different desk. Merlin was halfway through the door when he felt a hand on his arm. The young Patronus was stopping him. Merlin's breath caught in his throat. _He doesn't know,_ he told himself firmly, turning to face the young Patronus guard. He hadn't done anything. He had nothing to be afraid of.

"You're Merlin?" the young man asked. Arthur had stopped just behind him and was frowning at his bodyguard-Merlin couldn't tell whether he was puzzled or annoyed.

"Er... yeah." Merlin held out a hand, trying to summon up a facade of confidence. "Hello. And you are?"

"Leon," the Patronus supplied, shaking hands briefly with the teen. "You're the boy who saved Arthur's life?" It was more of a statement than a question. Merlin felt the color rise to his face and nodded mutely. Arthur coughed behind him. "It's a pleasure to met you," Leon said hurriedly, taking a step back to let him pass. Merlin recovered himself and mustered a smile.

"Pleasure's all mine." He darted an amused glance at Arthur and added with a boldness uncharacteristic of his usual interactions with Patroni, "Keep a sharp eye on him. Wouldn't want my efforts to go to waste." Apparently Merlin had judged the guard right. A gleam of amusement sparked in Leon's eyes, and Merlin knew instantly that he'd gained the man's trust.

"I'll do my best," Leon promised in a solemn voice. Merlin managed to pass off his strangled laugh as a cough and hurried out the door, leaving Arthur to scowl at his bodyguard.

It was hard to say which was more annoying: having the entire school ignore him all day or enduring the whispers of classmates every time he passed them. Merlin made his way down the hall as quietly as possible and still managed to draw several looks. Morgana gave him a brief smile and nod in greeting. At least she wasn't treating him like some weird sort of celebrity. Merlin had been grateful for her friendly company in his history class since the very first day. Despite knowing that his classmates were expressing a strange form of admiration, the surreptitious gossip reminded still the young warlock unpleasantly of his last school year in Armagh. He'd headed straight for his locker the moment his last class let out and retrieved his backpack and jacket. Pausing only to show the Patronus on guard his student ID, he took the quickest route around the school and walked into the neighborhood. He had one delivery to make for Gaius, then he could hole up peacefully in his room and read a book. It would be nice to have an afternoon to himself with no disturbances after a weekend of police interrogations and nearly incessant calls from the press.

* * *

"Oy, Merlin, heads up!" someone shouted. A hard object glanced off of Merlin's shoulder, and he turned about in time to see a frisbee skitter across the recently shoveled sidewalk. Several boys were fanned out across the street in a semi-circle. Merlin sighed. He hadn't known that Arthur's cronies used this street as one of their hangouts or he would have avoided it. One or two of the boys chuckled, but most were just looking at him like the rest of the school, with an odd, guarded curiosity about the boy who'd saved Arthur Pendragon's life.

"Merlin!" _Speak of the devil_, Merlin thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. It seemed he couldn't get away from the boy. He tensed when the blond approached. Arthur might have been halfway friendly to him that morning, but he usually showed a different side around his idiot friends. "Care to join us?" Arthur asked, retrieving the frisbee only feet from where Merlin stood. The warlock stared at him. Was Arthur really extending the olive branch to him?

"Er... can't, thanks. Have to deliver stuff for Gaius," he said. Arthur shrugged.

"Alright. See you later." He tossed the frisbee to one of his companions. _That was weird,_ Merlin watched the disc spin away across the street. He tore his eyes away and turned his steps back towards the guest apartments.

No one answered Merlin's knock at the door of Suite 21. Merlin stood uncertain in the hallway, wondering whether he ought to leave the bag at the front desk or come back later. Gaius always preferred his deliveries to be received in person. Medication, like everything else in Uther's neighborhood, was highly regulated. He knocked again; still no answer. He was about to go when a voice spoke behind him:

"Are you looking for Ambassador Bayard?" The speaker was a young woman with dark hair and eyes a startlingly contrasting shade of blue. Something about her put Merlin on edge. She seemed nervous, shifty.

"Er... yeah. Is he in?" the warlock asked.

"Not at the moment." She brushed brusquely past him and unlocked the deadbolt on the door. "I'm his personal assistant. Can I take a message for him?" Merlin noted with a touch of confusion that this woman had a clear English accent. Wasn't Bayard the Norwegian ambassador?

"Doctor Wilson (1) said he requested this," he said, offering her the pharmacy bag. The young woman reached out to take the bag, and Merlin drew back in surprise when she unexpectedly leaned closer to him.

"You're a friend of Arthur Pendragon's?" Her voice had dropped into a low, urgent whisper. Merlin cringed.

"You... could say that," he said, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"Warn him," Her fingers wrapped themselves around Merlin's arm when he tried to pull away. He felt her breath on his ear. "He is not safe. There are some here who would see Uther and his son dead."

"Y-you should tell the Patroni," Merlin stammered. "I'm just a neighbor of Uther's. Nobody will listen to me." Panic flared in her eyes, and her grip became painfully tight.

"He'll kill me. He'd be furious if he saw me talking to you." Her voice trembled. "Look out for Arthur. Don't tell them I told you. Please." Merlin nodded shakily. She released him and pulled back abruptly and urged, "Go-go before he sees you here!" Merlin didn't need telling twice. He was down the stairs before the young woman had even shut her door.

Merlin avoided Arthur and his friends, going around the back of the apartments on his return to Gaius' apartment. This new development could be of critical importance to the negotiations. Norway had been at odds with England since the year that Uther deposed The Pure. Several of the archons(2) had fled to Norway after their initial defeat. A detail of Uther's special forces had pursued them into the country, disregarding the strict international laws established against the English after their first civil war. Several Norwegian citizens had been killed and many more injured in the short but ruthless conflict between the sorcerers and Uther's forces. While no state of war had ever been declared, tension between Uther and all of the Scandinavian countries had run high from that day on. The country had suffered greatly from this breach. With England still struggling to rebuild its social infrastructure and draw in new imports, they could ill afford another offense either from against any of the Scandinavians. At a guess, Merlin assumed that Bayard's assistant was from the country and trying to rescue the negotiations. Why she was working for Bayard to start with, and why she had told him...

Gaius was occupied in his clinic room when Merlin came in. The warlock grabbed a scone from the kitchen and headed straight for his room. The moment he opened his laptop, a Skype chat box popped up. _ANSWER MY CALLS_. Merlin blinked. It was Will. He hadn't heard from Will in a long time, but this chat box was filled with text. The chat box updated again: Where are you? I haven't got very long! Will was still online then. Merlin sat down at the desk and clicked call. The answer came almost instantaneously.

"Where have you been?" Will demanded sharply, appearing on the screen. Behind him, Merlin recognized the dusty looking shelves of the Armagh library-a good ten minute bus ride from their neighborhood.

"Running errands for Gaius." Merlin shrugged. "Sorry. Didn't know you were waiting for me on Skype. Why didn't you message me?"

"_You_ should've been messaging_ me_," Will said, scowling. "And I had a hell of a time getting here to call, you know. Half the services are down right now."

"Again?" Merlin said in disbelief. Services in Armagh went down every once in a while, but not usually more than one at once.

"That's not the point, _Merlin_," Will growled. "What happened? Why didn't you send me an email or call or something?" Merlin stared at his friend.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine!" he insisted.

"Really?" Will said icily. Merlin heard the tapping of Will's keyboard, and a link appeared below the video-stream. Will fixed Merlin with a pointed look. "Explain this then," he ordered. Merlin clicked the link. 'Breaking News' flashed across the screen. A shot of his school appeared. Snow spiraled down out of the sky, colored by the lights from a myriad of emergency vehicles. The camera panned across the lot to where Uther, Gaius, Smith, and a high ranking Patronus officer were standing close together conversing by one of the patrol cars. A reporter's voice spoke over the background noise of shouting and the crackle of police radios.

_"Emergency responders received a call from Camelot's main secondary school this morning after an instructor heard a gunshot in the hall. Students in Thomas Smith's class were held up for several minutes while a renegade sorcerer threatened them with a live firearm. Authorities report one casualty in the shooting-Mark Johnson, a duty Patronus guarding the school, killed when he refused the shooter access to Smith's classroom. The shooter's main target, however, was the son of the Prime Minister, Uther Pendragon. Pendragon's son was saved by the quick thinking of his classmate, Merlin Astur."_ (3)

"This is what we saw on Friday," Will's voice interrupted the reporter. "Look," The camera shot changed, and Merlin found himself looking at his own huddled figure sitting in the back of the ambulance next to Arthur. Both he and the other teen looked considerably more pale and subdued than he remembered. The two boys were only visible for the barest second before Uther Pendragon and the medical personnel obscured the camera's view.

_"Astur and Pendragon are currently unavailable for comment, and both medical and security personnel refuse to give a statement on their status."_

"And _that's_ all the information we got," Will announced angrily as the clip ended. "Phone and internet lines were down all bloody weekend," he continued. "Your mum went all over the neighborhood trying to find a working line. Internet only came back up at the library today." Merlin paled. He'd spent most of the weekend being grilled by Patronus officers, filling out his full police report, and avoiding eager reporters both on the phone and every time he ventured outside. Calling home hadn't exactly been foremost on his mind.

"God... Will, I had no idea. Honestly. I'm fine. I wasn't hurt at all."

"You looked awful, Merlin!" Will snapped. "The report was really vague, and they said there was a sorcerer. We thought-" He trailed off, his tone losing its heat. The implications of his statement were clear. Merlin shuddered. "Merlin, what happened?" Will asked tensely.

"Nothing." Merlin paused the video clip on the shot of him and Arthur, shaking his head. He really did look pale, and several medics were crowded close about him and the other teen. "We were both fine. Just... a bit shell-shocked, I guess."

"So you didn't-"

"I tackled Arthur to the ground. That's all. I didn't catch any bullets for him." The video-stream froze.

"Hang on... 's not work-" Will's voice began breaking up.

"Will?" Merlin leaned forward, tilting his head to catch the choppy sound. The words '_Call dropped_' appeared on Merlin's screen. Will's message appeared in the chat box:

_Bad connection. I have to go._ Merlin sighed heavily.

_I'm sorry. I should've called,_ he wrote.

_Doesn't matter,_ answered Will. _You couldn't have gotten through anyway._ Merlin bit his lip.

_Tell mum I'm safe,_ he typed. _I'll call you both as soon as the lines are up again._

_Of course,_ Will wrote. _Stay out of trouble, idiot._ With that, Will's status changed to offline.

* * *

**AN:** (1) Gaius is played by Richard Wilson in the show. Ergo, in my fic he is called Gaius Wilson.

(2) This is my little nod to Ancient Greek history. Archon is a Greek word meaning 'ruler'. The Thirty Spartan tyrants who ruled over Athens after it was conquered were called Archons. The Pure was also a band of thirty sorcerers and sorceresses ruling over England, and in like manner, they were called archons. Yes. Yes I do love history-especially Greek history. Why do you ask? ^^

(3) Merlin's last name, Astur, is the Latin word for 'hawk'. As you may or may not know, a merlin is a type of hawk. :)


	8. The Poisoned Blade

**AN:** You may be wondering why this chapter is called #8 when the last one you read was #10. Well, on the advice of a reviewer, I put a couple of earlier chapters together to make them longer. I promise from now on always to post chapters of a fair length-about this length, actually. :) Don't worry. All the content is still there as before!

For you wonderful, amazing people who favorited and reviewed, free cookies and all sorts of lovely things... kittens... unicorns... whatever you want.

But you don't want to hear me ramble about how much I love reviews, so ON to the story!

* * *

"It couldn't have been all that bad." Gwen said, taking a seat across from Merlin. The teen had his face buried in his hands. She set her textbook down on the table.

"Believe me, it was," Merlin grumbled and ran his fingers through his messy dark hair. "I had enough trouble figuring the lesson out on my own, and Gareth didn't understand any of it. I might as well have been explaining to the wall. How Gareth ever got through Algebra one is a mystery beyond my reckoning." Gwen laughed.

"Couldn't Arthur help?" she suggested.

"_Arthur_," Merlin replied irritably, "Can't be bothered to lower himself to the level of the commoners. I doubt he could've explained it any better than I did anyway."

"I don't know. Arthur's pretty good at math. You should ask him," Gwen said. Merlin looked up with a frown.

"Defending our favorite bully?" he asked, lips quirking in a curious smile. Gwen turned her eyes on a page of long equations.

"No, I'm just saying... Well... My father says he's one of the best students," she finished a bit lamely.

"It's alright. I won't say anything." Merlin put up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Far be it from me to criticize your choice in men."

"Merlin, I do _not_ like Arthur," Gwen retorted bluntly, glaring at him.

"Oh?" Merlin grinned, leaning across the table to add in a quiet voice, "Because I thought you liked those rough, tough save-the-world kind of guys."

"No," Gwen said evenly. "I like much more ordinary guys like you." Merlin raised an eyebrow at her. If only I was ordinary.

"If you say so," he said with a shrug. He let his gaze slide over to the door and added, "Oh look, there's Arthur now!" Gwen turned around so fast, she almost fell out of her chair, and Merlin burst out laughing.

"You are_ terrible,_" Gwen declared, smacking Merlin with her notebook.

"I thought you just said you liked me!" Merlin protested, taking shelter under his own textbook.

"Not you! I... obviously I didn't mean-" Gwen fumbled. "I just meant more ordinary guys _like_ you!" His friend's flustered, indignant response only set Merlin laughing harder. "Merlin!" she yelped. He peered at her from behind his textbook. Geoffrey, she mouthed at him. The dark haired teen looked up to find said person striding across the library towards them.

"S-sorry Geoffrey," he chuckled, struggling to keep a grin off his face.

"Mr. Monmouth," the instructor and librarian corrected. "And I suggest," he added, "That you two find another place to study."

"Yes, Mr. Monmouth." Merlin scrambled to his feet. Gwen shot him an I-told-you-so look as he scooped up his books and followed her towards the door. "So you don't like me?" Merlin whispered, catching up with the girl. Gwen stopped to stare at him.

"Merlin... You're so _strange_," she declared.

"Part of my charm, I guess," Merlin said with a flippant shrug. Gwen giggled, and upon catching another icy glare from Monmouth, swatted at his head again with her book. Merlin dodged the blow, ran up against a shelf behind him, and knocked over several books with a loud crash. The two teens met each other's eyes. "Sorry!" Merlin called out and fled after his already retreating study partner.

"H-how d'you always manage t-to..." Gwen didn't manage to finish her question. She stopped just around the corner and nearly doubled over with laughter, reaching out with one hand to grasp Merlin's shoulder for support. Merlin leaned helplessly back against the wall and laughed. "S-stop!" Gwen gasped, recovering herself. "It's not funny! Geoffrey's never going to let us back in!"

"It's not my fault you decided to take a swing at me!" said Merlin, grinning shamelessly. Gwen's expression was so comically put out that it was hard not to start laughing all over again. "Alright, alright. Listen I've got to go fetch my things from my locker. Meet me back at Gaius' apartment. We can finish the homework there." Gwen gave him a hard look. "I'll make you tea." he offered.

"No more talk about Arthur?" she demanded.

"On my honor," Merlin promised. Gwen smiled.

"Fine. But you don't have to make tea."

"Sure I do," Merlin said brightly. "Go get your stuff. I'll meet you there in ten minutes."

* * *

An unfamiliar Patronus was on shift at the doors when Merlin retrieved his backpack. The guard was standing in front of the doors, blocking the exit. Merlin stopped a respectful distance from the armed man when he showed no signs of moving out of the way

"Er... excuse me." He shifted his feet uneasily. "Can I go?"

"Identification," the guard requested.

"Right... um..." Merlin cautiously slipped his backpack off and fumbled in the front pouch for his card. His heart sank. "I... think I left it at home." The Patronus eyed Merlin suspiciously, and the teen resumed rummaging in the backpack. He took out each book in turn and riffled through the pages, but the ID card was nowhere to be found.

"You'll have to wait for your guardian then," the Patronus said.

"But Gaius is working clinic hours," Merlin protested. "He can't be here until seven." He stared in dismay at the stone faced guard. "I'm Merlin Astur," Merlin added. "Doctor Wilson's nephew. I live in 104B-in the apartments right next to Uther Pendragon's house. I can prove it." No response from the guard. "I could bring my ID right back," he continued, growing desperate. "It'll take me five minutes-you could go with me if you want. It's just a few blocks away."

"You'll have to wait here," the guard said with an air of finality.

"It's alright Preston, he's with me." Merlin looked up from his pack to see Arthur coming down the hall. "Come on, Merlin, we're leaving," he said brusquely. Merlin crammed his books back into the pack and hesitantly trailed after Arthur towards the door. To his utter relief the guard stepped aside, and Arthur strode confidently past him without even looking back to see if Merlin followed. The warlock could feel Preston's gaze following him until he turned the corner of the school and headed into the neighborhood.

"Where's Leon?" Merlin asked.

"Called in sick this morning," Arthur said. "Dad would've gotten me a temporary guard, but the force was already overstretched rounding up a ring of drug traders they found this week."

"Ah." Merlin fell silent again. He glanced over his shoulder at the school. One of the Patroni was coming around the corner of the school, probably to relieve Preston of his shift. "Doesn't it bother you?" he asked after a moment.

"What?"

"Being watched all the time." Merlin gestured back towards the school with one hand. The blond shrugged.

"That's just the way things are. Weren't you always?"

"No!" Merlin stared at him. "Armagh doesn't have Patroni. We have police. They don't... stare at you all the time-like you're doing something wrong." And they don't take people out into the street and shoot them without trial, he thought, suppressing a shudder, though he didn't add that.

"That's their job, Merlin. Patroni are supposed to be suspicious," Arthur said giving him one of his trademark you-really-are-hopeless-aren't-you looks. "At any rate, you needn't be bothered by them. They certainly aren't looking for people like you." Merlin couldn't help raising an eyebrow at Arthur's comment. You have no idea.

"Have you ever gone a whole day without seeing an armed guard?" he challenged. Arthur paused thoughtfully.

"I had a nanny who watched me until I was six. I don't think there were any armed guards in the house back then," he said with a shrug.

"You mean your mom didn't watch you?" The words were out before Merlin realized what a potentially unpleasant question that was. _Well done, you,_ Merlin thought to himself, feeling the color rise in his face.

"My mother died shortly after I was born." came the answer. Arthur seemed surprised by the question, though thankfully not bothered.

"Sorry," Merlin muttered, dropping his gaze. Arthur didn't seem particularly interested in keeping conversation up, so he kept quiet for about a block. Eventually curiosity got the better of him. "Did Morgana know your mother?" he ventured at last.

"Do you _ever_ stop asking questions?" Arthur asked, fixing him with a slightly annoyed look. Merlin shrugged and offered a grin in response. "Morgana's not my sister." Arthur answered at length.

"She's not?" Merlin stared at him. "But she lives in your house!"

"Brilliant observation, Merlin." Arthur rolled his eyes. "My dad is Morgana's legal guardian. Her parents were both killed in the fighting during and after the civil war. She's been here... since... she was ten." His sentence drew out slowly at the end. He stopped in his tracks and tilted his head curiously with a preoccupied frown. "Do you hear that?" Merlin stopped as well, listening. It sounded like a strangled cry was coming from the next street.

"What... is that?" he questioned. Arthur hesitated only for a moment before seeming to reach a decision. He turned the corner, leading the way straight towards the sound. Several feet down the street from him were two men, one prone on the ground and the other crouching over him.

"Oy!" Arthur dropped his backpack on the ground and broke into a run. "Leave him alone!" The aggressor looked up and abruptly let go of his victim upon seeing Arthur. He took to his heels and vanished behind a row of houses before the teen could reach him. Arthur skidded to a stop. "Coward!" he shouted. Merlin dropped his pack beside Arthur's and jogged over to crouch by the prone form of the victim. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand up as soon as he set eyes on the victim. Something about him was wrong. He didn't look harmed in any way, but his eyes were closed, and he was unnervingly still.

"Arthur," Merlin's voice was low. "I think we should get Gaius."

"We can't just leave him lying here," Arthur protested, taking the man's shoulder and gently rolling him onto his back. The following movement was so fast, Merlin nearly didn't catch it. In the same moment that the man was rolled onto his back, eyes flew open, and his arm moved from where it was tucked beneath his jacket. Merlin saw the telltale flash of silver. A knife slashed across Arthur's jacket, and Merlin lunged forward to pin both of the man's hands back. He felt a line of fire sear across his arm but managed to wrap his fingers around the man's wrist and hold it until Arthur wrested the dagger out of the man's grip. Arthur instantly pressed his newly acquired weapon against the assassin's throat.

"Nice try," he growled. "I suppose you've been watching me, then-knew my bodyguard wasn't here today?" The man's eyes traveled from the slash in Arthur's coat to the teen's face, and he laughed softly, a sound that sent chills down Merlin's spine. A violent shudder wracked the man's body, then his eyes rolled back into his head and he went still. Arthur sucked in a breath sharply and kept the knife pressed to the man's neck for a moment longer, then he reached out to search for a pulse.

"How...?" Arthur breathed. Merlin shook his head and released the man's hands.

"Don't know." He stepped quickly back, lifting his arm to inspect the gash he'd received. It wasn't very deep, but it already burned fiercely. He tugged off his scarf and tied it clumsily around the cut. He remembered the warning he'd received from Bayard's assistant the day before; certainly, the man had intended to hurt Arthur but something was very wrong about all of this. Nobody used knives to kill in this day and age. Guns were far more effective. Why had the assassin used a knife? Surely someone who could get a knife past the Patroni could manage a small pistol as well? "Did he hurt you?" the dark haired boy asked as Arthur looked over the body once more and backed away as well. Arthur shook his head.

"There's a huge rip in my coat now, though," he grumbled, inspecting the damage with a slight frown. He straightened up. "Come on. The accomplice might still be hanging about. We should get back and find a Patronus." He tucked the knife cautiously into a loop of his backpack and set off at a brusque pace. Merlin picked up his own backpack and shrugged it on. His whole arm felt like it was on fire now. Gaius'll have something for it, he thought, setting off after Arthur. They were only two blocks from the apartment now. He could wait until then to deal with the injury. "Dad's never going to let me out of Leon's sight after this, you know," Arthur was saying.

"Hmm." Merlin acknowledged his comment vaguely. He felt dizzy and tugged uncomfortably at the makeshift bandage on his arm.

"Keep up, Merlin." Arthur turned back, sounding annoyed. Merlin realized that he'd stopped walking. The ground seemed to be moving under his feet. Arthur's eyes fixed on his scarf, and his eyes widened in shocked understanding. "You idiot, why didn't you say something?" Merlin shrugged. He instantly regretted the action as it set his arm burning more fiercely than before. "Let me see it," Arthur demanded, walking back to him. Merlin tucked the arm against his chest and drew back.

"It's fine-just a little cut," he insisted.

"We should get you to Gaius," Arthur said, eyeing him warily.

"I'm okay. Just... need to sit down for a moment," Merlin muttered. He swayed, and Arthur caught him firmly by his uninjured arm. He felt his backpack being slipped off of his shoulders.

"Arthur, what-"

"Leave it. I'll send someone to fetch it later," the teen said. "Let's just get you to Gaius, alright?" He gripped Merlin's arm tightly again and began marching him towards the apartments. The sudden movement caused Merlin's head to spin worse than before. He made it about ten steps before he lost his footing and stumbled. Arthur scrambled to get a better hold of him.

"S-stop moving." Merlin protested, gripping at the teen's sleeve. He sank to his knees. "Arthur..." Something was definitely very wrong. His head was spinning, his arm felt like it would burn up, and an odd tingling feeling was spreading over his body.

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice sounded strangely muffled. "Merlin, look at me. We've just got a block to go." Arthur was shaking him. "Come on, Merlin, don't be such a girl. Like you said, it's just a little cut, right? Just a few more steps, then you can rest as long as you want."

"C-can't-just need a mo-" Arthur didn't wait for him to finish. Suddenly the warlock was hauled to his feet. Arthur pulled the other boy's arm around his shoulders and half-dragged half-carried him the last several feet towards the apartments. Merlin closed his eyes against the dizzying tilt of the world. Arthur's firm grip on his arm was the only thing grounding him. He heard shouting-Arthur, he realized after a moment-though he didn't hear what the teen was saying. Then another voice-Gwen's?-joined the new cacophony of noise along with the ringing that had just begun in Merlin's ears. He was laid flat on the ground. The cold of the pavement seeped through his jacket and made him shudder, and still the ground didn't stop moving.

"Merlin," Gwen's face was hovering anxiously over him. "Merlin, can you hear me?" she sounded frightened. "Arthur's gone to get Gaius. Listen, I'm going to dial 999. Stay awake, alright?" The girl was fumbling in her pocket for her mobile. The ringing in Merlin's ears had changed to a roar. Spots of darkness appeared in his vision.

"Gwen..." He tried to reach out for her. She had flipped her phone open. For a moment she looked at him, and her dark eyes were wide with fear. She took his hand in her own and squeezed it hard.

"Stay awake, Merlin!" she urged._ Stay awake... Stay awake._ Merlin focused on her words as his head began to spin and the world began to slide dizzyingly in and out of focus.

* * *

**AN: **My sincerest apologies for the cliffie... Chapter 9 will roll around soon enough I think.

A brief side-note on reviews here, by the way. YES, I love getting reviews from everybody. I want to hear your feedback on my writing-if I make continuity errors, typos, grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes, if the chapter is boring, if a character seems... out of character. ANYTHING. I welcome criticism! However, please, please if you offer crit, help me out! Tell me how I can improve. 'This sucks' really doesn't help. I'm okay with you thinking my story sucks. That's your opinion, and you're always welcome to it, but I'd be grateful for a tip on how NOT to suck in the future along with your opinion!

Thank you for reading my little rant, and feel free to ignore it! :D

Cheers!  
Sandyy

EDIT: (I'll move this to the beginning of the next chapter as soon as it's posted.) **Guest**, thanks for the reviews! In response to your comments, the one is an honest mistake. I meant to write 'after', of course. I fixed that as soon as I saw your review.

Secondly, shame on me for ignoring grammar rules. :P Quotation marks always threw me for a bit of a loop, but I can't believe I've been doing that EVERY time. I'm sorry that almost put you off of the story. I've gone through all the chapters and fixed all of those periods which should be commas. I'm PRETTY sure I got all of them, but if anyone spots one, shot me a message! Thanks so much for pointing that out, and I promise you it won't happen again!


	9. Casualty

**AN:**

HERE is the next installment. SORRY for the delay, everybody! D: I won't bore you with my reasons. You know the drill.

**Guest**, thanks so very much for pointing those things out! In response to your comments, one is an honest mistake. I meant to write 'after', of course. I fixed that as soon as I saw your review.

Secondly, I am quite honestly embarrassed for that pervasive problem. Shame on me for ignoring grammar rules. :P I'm sorry that almost put you off of the story. I've gone through the whole story and fixed the dialogue sections. I'm PRETTY sure I got all of them, but if anyone spots one (or any other grammar issue), shot me a message or review if you don't have an account. Many thanks for the review, and especially for pointing that out. I promise you faithfully that I will do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again!

ON to the story! :)

* * *

Arthur Pendragon was no stranger to violence. At a very young age, he had seen badly injured men returning from skirmishes on the borders while Uther was still tamping down rebellions-men with mangled faces and bodies riddled with bullets. He'd been kept at home most of the time until he was six, but he'd seen the effects of the war nonetheless, if only from a distance. The first time Arthur had seen a man shot, he'd been terrified. The man had seemed friendly enough to a seven year old boy who was lost. He'd promised that he could take Arthur back to his friends and led the child down a couple of streets before several Patroni had shown up out of nowhere. The man had bent down to scoop Arthur up, but before he could touch the boy, Arthur heard a gunshot. The next thing Arthur knew, he was whisked away by one of the Patroni, staring in shock at the motionless body of a man he'd innocently thought, if only for a few minutes, was a friend. He'd hidden his face in Uther's coat as he cried. When Arthur at last calmed, Uther held his son at arm's length and told him gently but firmly that no man was worth his tears-least of all a sorcerer. From that day on, Arthur learned quickly that his father expected him to be a soldier. He was Arthur Pendragon, son of the greatest man in England. He was not to show fear or weakness, least of all before the public or Uther himself. Since that day, he had been guarded carefully between school and home, and particularly when he ventured outside the neighborhood gates. He saw several men shot-often without warning. He understood, of course, why the Patroni were trained to kill quickly and mercilessly-especially where magic was concerned. It had never stopped bothering him though.

Magical populations, it seemed, were never quite quelled, and violence had continued throughout Arthur's childhood. The teen had watched Gaius stitch up an open wound, administer injections to asphyxiating patients, and treat a man who looked like his face had been burned half-off after an encounter with a sorcerer in the nearby suburbs. Nonetheless, Arthur was fighting down a very real feeling of panic as he laid Merlin down on the pavement, shoulders trembling from the effort of dragging him so far. He'd seen gashes much deeper than this one, and it simply didn't make any sense for Merlin to react this way. He waited just long enough to see Merlin settled carefully on the ground with the Gwen at his side before ordering her to call an ambulance and darting up the stairs. Gaius' door was thankfully unlocked. Arthur thrust it open and staggered in, searching frantically for Merlin's uncle.

"Merlin," Gaius emerged from a room nearby, frowning. "There you are. I have a-" he broke off when he set eyes on his visitor.

"Gaius, Merlin's hurt," Arthur gasped. "He's... there was a man with a knife, and Merlin... I don't know what's wrong with him. He-"

"Arthur!" Gaius interrupted. "Slow down. What happened to Merlin?"

"I-I don't know." Arthur shook his head. "He-he said he was fine, then he couldn't... stand up, and... he just... collapsed. Y-you have to come now. He's downstairs with Gwen; she's calling an ambulance," Arthur said breathlessly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Is he breathing?" Gaius demanded. Arthur nodded. "You said there was a knife. How deep was the cut?"

"It... it wasn't very deep. He just... couldn't stand up anymore. I don't know why." Gaius barely waited for Arthur to finish. He vanished into the clinic room, returned seconds later with a first-aid kit, and swept past Arthur down the stairs.

"Well done, Gwen. Let me see him now," Gaius said gently, brushing frantic girl gently aside. She let Merlin's hand go reluctantly, and the physician crouched down by his nephew. Gwen stepped back, clutching her mobile in a white-knuckled grip.

"Please hurry. Please, please hurry," she was murmuring into the receiver. She sounded on the verge of tears, and her eyes never left Merlin.

"Arthur," Gaius beckoned to the teen. "Bundle up your coat and put it under his legs." (1) _It's ruined anyways,_ Arthur thought, hurrying to comply.

"Merlin, look at me," Gaius said. Merlin was shivering violently, but he blinked up at his guardian. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"D-don't know. Gaius... wh-what's going on?" The words were barely audible.

"You're alright, Merlin. You're alright." The older man squeezed his nephew's shoulder gently. "Look at me," he repeated firmly as Merlin's eyes began to drift shut. "Can you still feel your arm?" He reached out and gently untied the scarf around Merlin's injury. Merlin tried weakly to bat his hand away.

"H-hurts."

"I know. I know it does." Gaius set the scarf aside, brushed Merlin's dark hair back from his forehead, and turned the boy's face so he could see his eyes. "Keep looking at me." Arthur backed away to stand beside Gwen as the ambulance pulled to a stop before the apartments. Gaius kept talking to his nephew in a soft, urgent voice, and Arthur focused on the sound as a sea of white medical personnel obscured the physician and his nephew from view. In seconds, Merlin was lifted onto a stretcher.

"What's going on?" Someone brushed against Arthur, and he stirred. Morgana had stepped between him and Gwen, and her bright eyes were fixed in horrified fascination on the ambulance bed being wheeled inside the emergency vehicle. Arthur wordlessly shook his head. _God... I have no idea_. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was explain. Gwen let out a little half-sob, and Morgana wrapped an arm around her friend and gave her a brief reassuring squeeze before pulling away and taking out her mobile. Calling Uther no doubt. Arthur sank onto the nearby stairs of the apartment and ran both hands through his hair, trying to ignore the bloodstained scarf lying inches from his foot.

* * *

"What happened?" Uther's voice was sharp. Arthur shifted, and his seat belt chafed against his shoulder. He felt pinned between Uther looking sternly back at him from the front seat and the open concern from Morgana beside him.

"We were coming home in the neighborhood, and there were two men on the street." He glanced between the two listeners, discomfited by their scrutiny, and continued in a rush; "One of them was attacking the other. I ran over to stop the attacker and he ran off. The man he'd attacked was lying on the ground. When I turned him over, and he pulled a knife on me. Merlin and I disarmed him, and... I don't know exactly what happened after that. The man... stopped breathing and died right there. We were going back for help when Merlin collapsed. That's when I went to fetch Gaius." He dropped his gaze to his hands, folded tightly together in his lap. Uther hadn't said a word, but Arthur could feel the weight of his father's disapproval already. I couldn't have done any differently. I couldn't have just left him there. Arthur kept his head down, but he watched his father from the corner of his eye, waiting tensely for his response.

"Arthur, you know what I'm going to tell you." Uther said as the car pulled into the hospital parking lot. Arthur kept his eyes lowered, burning with frustration. Of course he knew. It was the same line he'd heard every time he stepped outside the neighborhood or so much as spoke to a stranger. "Your desire to help someone in need is admirable," his father continued, "But you know how dangerous it is even now to approach a stranger. Above all, remember this: your life is valuable. You must not take risks-especially when Leon is not near."

"Yes, sir," Arthur said quietly. He knew all too well how much 'value' was placed on his life-had even seen men step in front of bullets to protect him. Now he was beginning to wonder whether this day would add another casualty to the list of lives given to protect his own. "That goes for you too, Morgana." Uther added, turning briefly to her. Morgana did not respond. She glanced at Arthur and he saw the resentment burning in her eyes. Even more so than Arthur, Morgana hated the restrictions in Camelot. Uther did not wait for an answer, and the two teens followed him tacitly into the building.

The beep of medical machinery and the murmur of soft voices were all the sounds to be heard in the quiet hallways of the hospital. A nurse led them to the room where Merlin was, a room as identically immaculate and neatly laid out as every other they passed: white, clinical, and entirely impersonal; Merlin's room was no different from the others. It was occupied by two other patients, their beds separated only by thin white curtains. Arthur and Morgana both stopped in the doorway as Uther entered. Gauis was sitting beside Merlin's bed. It was almost eerie how neat the bed looked despite having an occupant; the corners of Merlin's blanket were still tucked and folded around the mattress ends, and it hardly even looked rumpled. He was still-far too still. Gaius held one of Merlin's hands in his own and was running his thumb over the back of it, as if to remind the unconscious teenager that he was still there. Neither Gaius nor Merlin so much as stirred at the arrival of the visitors.

"How is he?" Uther asked, approaching slowly. Gaius shook his head, still not looking up from his nephew. Arthur dug his fingernails into his palm. This was his fault. The blade had been meant for him, not Merlin. Of course the bloody idiot had gotten in the way._ Again._

"There is no natural poison known that causes symptoms of this nature," Gaius said at length very softly. "Whatever weapon caused this was poisoned by sorcery." Gaius' voice grew cold as he looked up at Arthur's father. "And only one trained in the use of magical remedies would know of an antidote to it." Uther's expression changed rapidly at this pronouncement. He shifted, planting his feet firmly apart in military stance.

"I have no doubt modern medicine can find a cure," he said in a clipped tone. His whole posture communicated a barely supressed agitation.

"The doctors here have never seen anything like it. I only recognized it myself from my own brief venture into the field," Gaius replied wearily.

"There must be something we can do." As he often did when uncomfortable, Uther clasped his hands behind his back and his face became impassive-every inch the soldier his training had made him years ago. This conversation was rapidly moving out of his comfort zone. Gaius' hand stilled briefly, and Merlin stirred with a soft moan. The physician rested his free hand on the boy's sweat beaded forehead. "Gaius," Uther pressed tentatively when the man did not respond.

"Brigid," Gaius said quietly. Arthur lifted his head and looked curiously at the physician. "Let me ask her. She may know the antidote."

"She abandoned that practice many years ago," Uther said, his voice suddenly brittle as ice. "Gaius, we cannot call upon such arts when it suits us to do so. You know as well as I how it corrupts." Gaius looked up at him, and for the first time in his life, Arthur saw desperation in the elderly man's eyes, but whatever sympathy Uther had expressed before was gone now.

"I would only ask that she identify the poison."

"She is only permitted to live on your assurance that she no longer practices," Uther said, his eyes narrowing.

"Uther, please... it is his only chance."

"You will stay here with your nephew," Uther replied with tone of finality. "I will send for a specialist."

"Let me go," Arthur interrupted, stepping into the room. His whole being was itching to do something-anything. The steady beeping of the medical equipment was beginning to drive him mad. "I can take a couple of Patroni with me and find her. It won't take an hour."

"You will do no such thing." An edge of anger crept into Uther's words. "Gaius, you should not fill their heads with such ideas."

"We can't just let him die!" Arthur bristled. "He saved my life. Have you forgotten?" He met his father's challenging gaze squarely.

"I will not have you risking your life on a useless venture," Uther said angrily.

"So we're not even going to try?" Arthur's voice rose to match his father's tone. "We're just going to stand here and condemn him to-"

"That is _enough_, Arthur," Uther shouted. "We are finished discussing this!" Arthur stood, his curled into fists and teeth clenched, glaring at his father. Uther turned sharply away from him.

"I am sorry, Gaius." The politician rested a hand briefly on Gaius' tense shoulder. "I will have a specialist sent to consult with the medical staff here." He turned on his heel, and without another word walked out of the room. Arthur lingered a moment longer in the doorway, his jawline still tight with anger, and looked back at Gaius. Some of the tension ebbed out of his figure at the pained expression on the old man's face. Gaius had been a friend to him as long as he could remember, and a gentle voice of reason when his father's punishments had fallen hard on him._ It should have been me. It should have been me._ The thought echoed like a constant refrain in the back of Arthur's mind. He wondered with a sick twisting feeling in his gut whether his father would have sent for this Brigid if it had in fact been him lying in the hospital bed... dying. Instead Merlin, the clumsy, bumbling idiot who'd cropped up out of nowhere and inadvertently turned Arthur's world on its ear, would die a death meant for Arthur. And Gaius... Gaius would lose the only companion he'd had in years. It didn't take a keen observer to see how close the older man was to his young nephew. Arthur gritted his teeth and turned away from the room. He would do something. He had to find a way to help. He couldn't just stand by and watch this happen.

"Arthur," Morgana prompted.

"Coming,"Arthur said through his teeth, and he tore his eyes away from Merlin's bed, about to follow Uther back to the car. Morgana held him back with a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Arthur," There was a steely glint to her gray-green eyes, a light of fierce determination. "I know how to find her."

* * *

**AN:**

**Footnotes:**

(1) When a person is in shock, you elevate their legs, not their head. This prompts blood-flow to important parts of the body like the heart and brain and helps the person not to pass out. Just in case you were wondering!

**Me rambling:**

Apologies to Gwen, Arthur, Merlin, and Gaius for putting them through this. :( Anyway, as a random side note, part of this chapter is loosely based on my own experience with an emergency call. As Gwen did here, I held onto my cell phone like it was the only solid thing in the world and mindlessly repeated pleasehurrypleasehurryplease hurry to the dispatcher until the sirens started up-as if they wouldn't hurry. Emergency responders are wonderful people. I could not be more grateful for them. :)

Any thoughts? How was Arthur POV? Guesses on who Brigid is? And no, she doesn't come from the show, but she does have a basis in mythology!

You can probably expect #10 by Sunday. I've got to finish my last midterm and quiz first, but then it's spring break! Can't wait!


	10. Darkness

**AN:** Sorry everybody! I had several papers and a midterm, and... well let's just say this chapter was extremely difficult to write... and it just kept getting longer! But here it is at last, in all its unbeta-ed glory. My fault for not contacting my betas sooner. Heh... Anyways, please R&R! :)

* * *

"Arthur for god's sake relax!" Morgana snapped, pausing in her search of the filing cabinet to scowl at the teen. "Uther won't be out of the meeting any time soon."

"And he'll kill us both if he finds us in here," Arthur muttered, pacing to the window again the look anxiously out. Morgana was probably right. The man who'd stabbed Merlin had been identified as one of the Norwegian representatives, and the guest quarters had been locked down instantly. Uther had, of course, been gone since the moment they returned from the hospital, attempting to untangle this newest tangle of red tape, but Arthur knew all too well the fury they would both face if by chance the meeting ended early. "You still haven't explained how you're going to find this Brigid character?" he added, tearing his eyes from the window and returning to peer over Morgana's shoulder again.

"Brigid Fyr," Morgana said without looking up. "I've heard Gaius mention her name before. She's one of his suppliers... I think..." She drew out the word as she paused in her search, fingers lingering over one file. "That she imports ingredients from other countries." Seeming to reach a decision, she pulled out the file and flicked through the papers inside. "Here." Morgana straightened up and held out the paper to Arthur.

"Dad won't let her into the hospital. You know that," Arthur pointed out, scanning briefly over the paper. The supplier's information was laid out neatly across the page, including her address, number, and the name of her little herbal shop in a suburb of the city. It was just like Gaius to supply his surgery from odd little places like this one. Arthur was far from the only one to consider the man somewhat old fashioned in his methods. Nonetheless, he was the only physician Uther would trust since he had nearly been poisoned by an impostor he'd hired to assist in the surgery for a brief time.

"She doesn't need to see Merlin," Morgana retorted. "Like Gaius said, we just need her to identify the poison on the knife."

"The knife!" Arthur looked up abruptly from the paper. "What happened to it?" Morgana reached under Gaius' desk and with an insufferably smug smile presented Arthur with a sterile syringe box from the clinic.

"_You_ left it tucked into a loop on your backpack. I put it in this to keep it safe." She closed the file drawer with a click and stood.

"Morgana, that's obstructing evidence!" Arthur exclaimed. "You could be arrested!" Morgana raised an eyebrow dispassionately.

"So we won't let them know I took it." She held up the box. "Of course, we could just turn it in and let Merlin die if you prefer."

"Morgana!" Arthur gritted his teeth.

"Look," Morgana tapped the paper in Arthur's hands. "It won't take us above two hours. Take the public transit, get an antidote from her, and head straight for the hospital. Uther'll be in the meeting for hours. We'll be back before he even knows we were gone."

"Morgana..." _She's not going to take this well,_ he thought, crimping the edge of the paper unconsciously. "I really think you should stay here."

"Why?" Morgana demanded, her gray-green eyes narrowing coldly.

"The meeting probably won't run past ten; you know that. And my father will have a fit if we both go missing,"

"He'll have a fit if _you_ go missing," said Morgana tartly.

"And that's why _you_ have to stay here and make sure he doesn't find out," Arthur emphasized quickly. Morgana was clearly unimpressed with his argument. She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow at him. "Look," Arthur pressed. "Morgana... you're a girl-"

"You noticed," she interrupted, her voice dripping with acidic sarcasm. "Honestly, Arthur, you're not_ nine_ anymore. Do you still think I have the cooties?"

"You're a girl," Arthur repeated more forcibly, summoning his last scraps of patience. "And it's getting dark. Nobody will think twice if they see me walking alone in the dark. You would attract attention. Besides, one of us has to stay here and cover." He met her burning gaze fixedly. "It's got to be you." Arthur extended a hand slowly to take the box, and after a brief hesitation, Morgana somewhat ungraciously pressed it into his hands.

"Fine. We don't have time for this. Go. I'll look up the address and keep in touch until you find it." Arthur nodded, relieved, and handed Brigid's info sheet back in exchange.

"Thanks, Morgana."

"Don't thank me yet." Morgana's irritatingly superior smile returned. "I'm certainly not taking the fall for this if Uther finds out."

* * *

As if the weather was conspiring against him, it began to snow the moment Arthur stepped into the open. He gritted his teeth, wishing his warmer jacket wasn't stowed away somewhere in a security building somewhere with a long tear in it. The guard at the gate was sitting with his feet up on the desk, a steaming cup of coffee in one gloved hand. He stood when Arthur approached and peered out of his shelter.

"Sorry, Arthur. You're not to go out without a guard." Arthur tugged his hood back to get a clear look at the guard... Waverly... West...Wood... something like that. He'd seen the man around-didn't know much about him, though; he was a relatively new addition to the force. Perhaps he didn't know the ropes well yet.

"It's alright," Arthur said, quickly thinking up the name of another Patronus who didn't work the gate. "Er... Preston's waiting outside for me."

"Preston?" the guard echoed. "I thought he was off for the rest of the day." He frowned. "Why doesn't he meet you inside the neighborhood?"

"He got reassigned. It was a bit short notice," Arthur improvised. "I have to stop by Gareth's and finish up a school project." The guard looked dubious, so Arthur added a trace of impatience to his voice. "Look, I haven't got much time. I've got to get back before the gate closes." That seemed to do the trick. Westwood-or whatever his name was-stepped aside.

"Alright then," he said, though he still sounded a bit hesitant. "Be sure you wait for Preston once you're outside."

"I will." Arthur pulled his hood back up and strode quickly through the gate, heading for the nearest stop.

"Not bad," Morgana's voice said into his ear, startling him. Arthur scowled and adjusted the earpiece volume.

"Yeah, thanks. Now where to?" The earpiece registered the tapping of Morgana's keyboard.

"Down the street," Morgana said. "There's a bus stop. Pay cash; they could track your Oyster card."

The bus and streets both were crowded with commuters heading home from work, and Arthur was easily able to go unnoticed in the crowd. Through the window he saw the snowfall rapidly thickening over the half hour commute. The weather, it turned out, was more sleet than snowflakes and Arthur's jacket became coated with wet only moments after he stepped off the bus. He kept his head down against the snow and cupped a hand around the microphone to block the sound of the wind.

"How much farther?" he asked.

"Not to far now," she answered, and he heard more shuffling from her end. "Four more blocks west, then turn right."

"You had better be right about this," Arthur growled, shivering.

"I know I am. It's on Google maps," his accomplice said airily. Arthur huffed.

"Because Google maps is _never_ behind the times," he muttered to himself. There was a loud rustle from the earpiece.

"Oh, sh-" Morgana's voice cut off with a clatter. There was a scraping sound. "What the hell is your dad doing back?" she hissed. Arthur's fingers curled tight around the little mic piece.

"Just keep him out of my room!" he urged her. "Say I'm... doing homework or something." More clattering on the other end of the mic. Arthur thought he heard his father's voice.

"I have to go." Morgana said hurriedly. "I'll call you back as soon as possible. Turn right, look for the little herbal shop. You can't miss it."

"Morgana, wait! What do I do when I get there!" Arthur demanded. "_Morgana_!" He heard a click. The line was dead. Great; the Patroni would no doubt be all over the city in the next hour. He pulled up Brigid's address on his phone and followed the directions, picking up his pace. He'd have to get this over with quickly.

It was growing dark, and the streets were strangely quiet when Arthur turned the corner where Brigid's shop was. His jacket was soaked through, and now every little gust of wind cut through the wet fabric like an icy knife. He stopped under the little eave of the shop and rapped on the door hard. There was no answer. Arthur cupped his hands close to his mouth in a vain attempt to warm his stiff, numb fingers before hesitantly knocking again, a bit louder the second time. Then without warning, there was a soft _click_ and every light on the entire length of the street went out. _What?_ Arthur backed up against the door, feeling his heartbeat speed up. It was then that he noticed the street was not only dark and quiet but also completely empty. Not a soul was out walking, and the blinds were down in every window. The door behind him rattled, and Arthur scrambled back from in time to see it open the merest crack.

"What in god's name are you doing out at this time?" a woman's voice demanded in a low whisper. "You'll be arrested!"

"Wh-what?" Arthur stammered, clenching his teeth to keep them from chattering. An elderly woman was looking up at him with keen hazel eyes, her face lined with age. Her long silver hair was pulled back in a neat bun. Her expression sharpened into wary suspicion when she caught a clear glimpse of him.

"Come inside," she ordered, beckoning as she opened the door wider. "Quickly." Arthur didn't need to be told twice. He stepped gratefully into the warmth, and the door clicked shut behind him.

The inside of the store was lit only by the glow of a small lamp on a check-out desk near the back. A little space heater hummed softly by the desk, and the rows of shelves inside were lined with vitamins, herbal remedies, and over-the-counter medicines. Two doors at the back of the store were shrouded in shadow, one partially open; Arthur could see a staircase, probably leading into the woman's living quarters above her store.

"You're Brigid Fyr?" Arthur asked as the woman brushed past him.

"And you are Arthur Pendragon," she said by way of reply. "Why are you here?"

"I'm a friend of Gaius. He needs a poison identified."

"So he sent the son of Uther Pendragon alone at curfew." Brigid observed icily. Arthur's confidence flagged at her expression.

"He..." The teen shifted nervously. "No," he admitted, lowering his gaze. "But I-"

"Do you realize the danger you're putting both of us in?" she demanded.

"I..."

"Does your father know you're here?"

"Well, not really, but-"

"You shouldn't have come," the woman said turning away from him. "I'll call the Patroni to take you home."

"Would you just listen to me!" Arthur shouted taking a step after her as she headed for her desk. "Gaius couldn't come himself. His nephew's been poisoned." For the first time since coming into the shop, Arthur seemed to have her attention. She stopped in her tracks and looked hard at him.

"His nephew?" Arthur nodded. He shrugged his backpack off and pulled out the box with the knife.

"He was hurt with this. Gaius thought... he thought it was poisoned with magic." Her shoulders tensed at the last word. Her silence made Arthur uncomfortable, but he let a moment pass before cautiously adding: "Gaius also said you might know an antidote." She very slowly took the box from his hands and carried it to the back of the shop where the lamp sat. Arthur followed silently behind, and she laid the blade on her desk, studying it wordlessly in the dim light.

"Gaius sent you to ask for an antidote?" she said, turning the weapon over in her hands. The symbols etched on its blade gleamed in the light.

"More or less." Arthur glanced at his hands which were red and chapped from the cold, carefully avoiding her piercing gaze.

"He doesn't know you're here either," the woman concluded bluntly with an astuteness that further unnerved the teen. She set the knife down under the lamplight and turned to face him with keen intensity. "Do you know what you're asking?"

"I'm_ asking_ you to help save someone's life!" Arthur snapped, raising his eyes alight with a blaze of anger. He took a short, sharp breath. He could hardly afford to antagonize her, as infuriating as she was. "Just... tell me if you know an antidote."

"I know the antidote."

"I'll pay whatever you ask, then," Arthur said, turning to fetch his backpack.

"I don't want your money," the woman replied. "You have caused consequences for me simply by coming here. I have lived unnoticed in London for nearly ten years. If the Patroni find you here, I'll be arrested without question."

"I'll make sure no one bothers you!" Arthur insisted. "I promise!"

"Your friend's life is none of my concern," she said, returning her attention to the knife. Arthur gritted his teeth.

"Maybe not, but it's mine," he said in a voice tight with barely restrained anger. "I will give you whatever you ask, but I'm not leaving this building until you bring me an antidote." The woman looked up at him once more, and again, Arthur had the feeling that she was appraising him. His last measure of patience was rapidly running out, though, and he didn't care to wait until she was finished deciding whether he measured up to her standards. "Tell me what you want. I swear, I'll get it for you," he said firmly.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Pendragon," Brigid replied with infuriating calm in the face of his frustration. Arthur opened his mouth angrily, but she cut over him; "I'll give you the antidote. Then you will leave, and tell no one where you have been." The protest died on Arthur's lips and he nodded weakly, shocked at her assurance.

"Of course. Thank you."

"I'm doing this for Gaius, not you." Brigid said curtly. She took the knife and vanished into a back room, leaving Arthur alone in the dimly lit shop. Arthur stood beside the desk and stretched out his hands, still stiff and painful from the cold, towards the little space heater. The shutters of the shop rattled with another gust of wind, and he felt an unpleasant twinge of apprehension at the thought of going back out into the weather and the pitch black street. A soft chime broke the silence in the shop. Arthur flicked out his mobile. Four missed calls were listed on the notifications: all from his father-probably made while he was outside in the wind-and a text. Arthur pulled it up.

_The Patroni are out looking for you._ Morgana's name headed the text, of course. The phone chimed again, and another line appeared underneath: _Uther wanted to see you. I told him you'd gone to Gareth's. He just found out you're not there._ The windows rattled again, louder than before, then a new sound joined the howl of the wind-a sound Arthur recognized instantly: the wail of the city sirens. The city was on official lock-down now. In just minutes, the streets would be flooded with security-Police and Patroni alike. Arthur heard Brigid's footsteps and closed the phone a heartbeat before she reappeared. One look at her made him take a step back, suddenly uneasy. Her sharp hazel eyes were alight with anger and accusation.

"Called your father's men have you?" she asked in a voice deceptively soft.

"No, no!" Arthur shook his head vigorously. "I didn't call anyone!" He held up his phone. "You can check for yourself!" His timing could hardly have been worse. As soon as he held it out, the phone lit up, and vibrated in his palm playing the ringtone he'd set for his father. Brigid's eyes were cold. She set a small bottle on the desk before her.

"Go," she said harshly. "Before I change my mind."

"Thank you." Arthur took up the bottle and backed away, tucking it into his pocket. "I won't forget this."

"Go." Brigid spat. Arthur snatched his backpack up and darted for the door.

The wind and the sirens screamed in his ears the moment he went outside, but he didn't look back. He could practically feel the woman's eyes burning into his back. His mind was racing as he made his way down the dark street. Curfew was never an issue inside the neighborhood where he lived, so it hadn't occurred to him to make plans for it. He realized now that the public transit would be completely shut down like everything else in the outer city. He knew the streets well, and the hospital was much too far from his location for him to walk there-particularly in the dark. He certainly couldn't wait until morning to catch a bus; already he was shivering again as the snow whipped about his thin, wet jacket. The only option left was that he turn himself in to the Patroni. After that, he had no idea how he would get the antidote to Gaius. His father would have him grounded for the next month at the very least.

Another sharp blast of cold and snow made Arthur move quickly to take shelter around the next corner, listening for the footsteps of the nearest patrol. He had hardly turned around the building when something moved in the shadows and gave a muffled cry of surprise. Arthur started backwards, and he instantly reached into his pocket to grip his phone, a rush of adrenaline coursing through his already tense body.

"Who's there?" he demanded loudly. He flicked on the camera-light on his phone and held it up, squinting into the space between the two buildings on the corner. In the sharp glare of the light was a young woman huddled in the shadows, her dark hair flecked with white snow and her eyes wide and frightened. Her back was pressed to the wall of the building. "Sorry," Arthur lowered the light so it wasn't shining in her face. "Didn't mean to startle you." She stared fearfully at him and wrapped her arms around her body, trembling. "Are you alright?" Arthur asked, stepping cautiously closer. She shrank back.

"Please," she whimpered. "Please, I didn't mean to be out-I lost my way, and the lights-" She broke off with a sob and turned her face away.

"It's alright," Arthur reassured her. He took another step closer and extended a hand. "The lights always go out like that. Security will be here soon. They can help you." She shook her head, eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

"We'll both be arrested," she said in a trembling voice.

"We won't," Arthur insisted firmly.

"No, please, don't leave me with them. Please!" She sounded close to panicking.

"Alright, alright," Arthur held up both hands placatingly. "Just... come with me. You'll be safer." He took a step further into the little alley and offered her a hand again. "I'll help you," Arthur added. For a moment she looked up into his face and he thought she might take up his offer, then her eyes grew still wider than before, and she raised a trembling hand to point over Arthur's shoulder. Arthur turned to look, and his blood ran cold. Blocking the end of the alley was a black creature with a body the size of a large dog and enough legs that Arthur didn't even bother to count. Its eight eyes gleamed in the light of Arthur's phone. He felt as if he'd stepped straight into a horror movie. He had nothing: no gun, no knife-he'd left the poisoned one with Brigid. He didn't even have a rock or stick.

"Stay back," he ordered, shifting to place his body in front of the young woman. A gust of wind tugged at his wet jacket and hair, and... there was no other word for it; the young woman's figure appeared very suddenly next to the massive spider. Every trace of fear was gone from her beautiful face, and in its stead was a glint of mockery in her deep blue eyes. Arthur took several steps back, not daring to take his eyes off the oversized creature, and his foot bumped against something hard. He reached back with one hand and found a wall of cold metal wall: a dumpster.

"Very brave," she said softly. Arthur pressed his back to the wall, his eyes darting from the woman to her companion rubbing its front legs together as if considering the best way to skewer the teenager.

"Who are you?" he demanded, forcing his voice to remain steady. The woman smiled sweetly at him and raised a hand.

"An old friend of your father's." she replied. "I would tell you to say hello for me, but it would be a waste of breath. You won't survive this night." She opened her fist and whispered something in an unfamiliar language. Her eyes lit up brilliantly gold in the darkness, and something small leapt off of her palm, rapidly increasing in size. Arthur took one look at it and didn't wait to see the third of the giant spiders form from her palm. He scrambled on top of the dumpster and launched himself over the fence at the end of the alley. Over the sound of the arachnids' many legs scraping against metal and wire, he heard her laughing voice call out, "Good bye, Arthur Pendragon!"


	11. Light

**AN: **Brought to you courtesy of Spring Break-Chapter 11! :) It's back to school and two six page papers this Monday. *sigh*

Anyways, a sincere thank you to the fantastic people who fave'd and followed my story so far. You're all fantastic and really made my week!

Guest: I've no idea if you're the same Guest who commented before, but thanks for spotting typos. ^^ And thanks very much for reviewing. I'm thrilled that you're enjoying it!

* * *

The door of Merlin's hospital room opened almost noiselessly, and a nurse came in to stop by Merlin's bedside. She glanced over his readings and left again without a word. Outside the room, voices murmured quietly, and two shadowed figures parted ways in silence. Still no change in the teen's condition. It had been the same since late that evening. Merlin's breathing had taken a clear turn for the worse near sunset, and he had been moved into a solitary room of the Intensive Care Unit. Gaius' heart ached every time he looked at the pale, still form of his nephew in the hospital bed, attached to IV, pulse oximeter, and oxygen. As tired as the physician was, all thoughts of sleep were still driven from his mind each time Merlin stirred in his sleep. Gaius moved closer to the hospital bed to brush damp dark hair away from the teen's face for what seemed the thousandth time that day. Merlin was muttering something softly under his breath, and his eyes flickered open briefly.

"S'not safe." His words came out slurred, but he was clearly conscious this time if delirious. Gaius squeezed Merlin's shoulder gently.

"It's alright, Merlin. It's alright," he said gently, putting a hand firmly on the teen's shoulder and holding him down when he tried to sit upright. It had been hours before Merlin had settled down with the painkillers, and he still seemed in pain in his brief moments of consciousness. Merlin settled back for a moment, taking in short, ragged breaths of air.

"No... no. S-stay away." His brows drew together, as if he were trying to concentrate on something. The hand with the IV curled into a fist around the thin hospital blanket. Gaius gently pried it free, adjusting the IV so it wouldn't chafe at Merlin's skin. His throat felt painfully tight. He should have done something. He _could _have gone sooner. If he'd said nothing to Uther, perhaps... perhaps he might have made it into the city without any trouble. Certainly he wouldn't have been under watch. Now, though… now it was too late. Merlin's hours were numbered... and he'd sat and watched the boy's life slip away like sand in an hourglass.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured in a trembling voice, stilling Merlin's head with a hand as the teen turned restlessly against the pillow. "I'm so very sorry." Merlin didn't seem to register his words any longer. Hunith... dear Hunith... He'd tried to contact her, but she hadn't answered; the phone lines were back up, but internet was still out in Armagh. Hunith would be heartbroken. It was his fault. He should have looked after the boy better. Merlin was too young-far too young to die here.

"S'dark..." Merlin shifted away from Gaius' touch, still struggling for breath. Merlin turned his head fitfully from side to side, eyes shifting under closed lids and began muttering under his breath.

"Merlin, Merlin, lie still." Gaius held him down with one hand. The readings were changing rapidly in response to his erratic breathing. "It's alright." He stood to assess the readings himself, running one hand gently through his nephew's hair in an attempt to soothe him. A pale blue glow flickered to life in the room, and all at once, Merlin stopped his restless shifting, and the pulse measure settled back into a steady pattern. Gaius turned slowly back to his ward, and his heart sank. "Merlin," he whispered hoarsely. The young warlock's hand palm was open, and hovering mere centimeters above it was a little ball of silver-and-blue light. There was no mistaking it for anything else. He knew Merlin's magic was powerful, but the teen was hardly conscious. Gaius quickly tugged Merlin's thin blanket over the orb. He could only pray that no one had been passing the room. His nephew was lying surprisingly calm, and his breathing had evened out for the moment, no longer ragged and difficult.

"Go up," he murmured and even his speech was clear again. "Follow the light."

"Merlin?" Gaius crouched over his nephew and shook his shoulder gently The light pulsed brighter, shining through the blanket, and Gaius hurriedly draped his coat over Merlin's hand. "Merlin, what are you doing?"

* * *

"Oh no." Arthur's eyes darted from one end of the alley to the other. "No, no, no, please god, no." He backed up to the wall, flashing his light about frantically to search for an opening. Nothing. No narrow passages, no fences, not even a door he could pound on. He heard the sound of legs scrabbling on the pavement as the spiders swarmed down the narrow alley towards him. God... he really had stepped into a horror film. He probably had about half a minute left before one of the creatures caught up with him, and he had no way to go. The alley was a dead end. He slid his hand into his pocket and touched the cool glass bottle he'd gotten from Brigid. It had all been pointless after all. He would die alone here in this dark street, and Merlin would slowly drift away in the hospital with Gaius at his side. It felt unspeakably wrong. He'd been so close-he'd come this far, found Gaius' friend, gotten the antidote, and now he was going to die by the handiwork of a woman he'd never even met in his life. That made the third person in as many months who'd tried to kill him… It looked like the third time really was the charm.

Arthur shuffled back to run his hand over the stone wall; perhaps there was a grip... but then again climbing would be useless. The spiders wouldn't need handholds. They would scale the wall much faster than him no doubt, even if there were something for him to grip onto. The teen's shoe scuffed against something and he shone his light down at the ground. A piece of old piping lay at his feet. He snatched it up and pressed his back to the concrete wall, holding it out threateningly as the first of the creatures came around the corner. He had no clue how to kill a giant spider-even the little ones were utterly indestructible-but he certainly wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Stay back!" Arthur yelled, brandishing his newly acquired weapon. The spider made a low hissing sound and scuttled closer, its forelegs raised threateningly. Arthur took a bold step away from the wall and stabbed out with the pipe. The creature recoiled briefly, rubbing its forelegs together again. The others scrambled to avoid colliding with one another, and Arthur advanced, holding out his weapon like a sword. Faster than Arthur could react, the creature lunged at him and knocked the pipe out of his grasp. The force of its blow twisted Arthur's wrist. He staggered, dropping the pipe, and crashed to his knees in an attempt to dodge a second swipe. His phone clattered across the pavement, and all of the spiders surged forward. He didn't have a moment to snatch up the mobile again. He scrambled backwards on hands and knees until he came up against something cold. He was just able to make out the outline of a structure and quickly crawled under it. There was a small space between the metal and the wall of the building behind him. He got to his feet, feeling desperately along the wall, though he wasn't sure what for any longer. Blind fear was beginning to cloud his thoughts. A bristly black limb reached through the bars now separating him from the creatures, and Arthur shrank away, breathing hard. _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. _There was no way he could reach his phone, and the spiders were surrounding him on all sides now. Before long, one of them would figure the situation out and crawl under the metal to get to him, and he would be completely cornered. _Oh, god, don't let it hurt. Don't let it hurt too much. _He felt the creature's leg brush him and let out an entirely undignified yelp of shock, batting it away furiously with both hands. The touch sent shivers up and down his spine and made his stomach roil with nausea. He was about to be food for _that_... It would get its claws all over him. The limb was back in a second, scrabbling at him. "Get off, _get_ _off!_" he shouted. Then inexplicably, the spider pulled back with another angry hiss. Arthur found himself bathed in pale blue light. The metal structure was illuminated clearly now; he was crouched behind the rail of a fire escape. Above Arthur's head, a pale orb of blue, silver, and white rose into the air. _Sorcery. _A wave of anger briefly quelled the overwhelming panic in Arthur's mind. "Oh, wanted to see me die?" he shouted. No answer, of course, from the light. The spiders shuffled back to stand at the edge of the light's glow. Arthur's breath hitched when one of them edged closer. He realized belatedly that it was the light which had sent them scuttling away. They were bothered by the glow cast by the orb. Arthur hesitated the barest moment. Surely this couldn't be the work of the sorceress he'd met earlier if the spiders avoided it... could it? He didn't wait to find out. Never one to second guess his luck, the teen swung himself over the rail of the staircase and took the stairs two at a time, following the pale glow.

It didn't take long for the spiders to resume their pursuit. A couple clattered up the fire escape after him, and others crawled along the wall on either side. Arthur had long since lost track of just how many were at his heels. Looking back would probably prove fatal. He stumbled several times, clutching at the rail with each step. The escape ended suddenly at the top of the building. Arthur's head spun when he looked down through the grate under his feet at the sheer drop. He didn't have time to consider risk; the light was already drifting to a balcony several feet away. Arthur jumped the gap. He landed awkwardly, stumbling and twisting one leg, but he didn't dare stop to assess the damage. The light led him from one balcony to the next until, and he gritted his teeth which each landing. His head was beginning to spin from the effort. Where this could possibly lead, he didn't know. Perhaps there was an open door. He would be willing to face the anger of any residents if it meant never feeling that bristly black limb again.

The last balcony was in sight now. Arthur stumbled onto it gasping for breath and unquestioningly followed the light's guidance onto the flat roof of an adjoining building, squinting when the wind whipped a flurry of snow into his face. Then the orb of light floated serenely out into the open air. Arthur stared in dismay. The one thing that kept his pursuers at bay was going where he couldn't follow. Fear washed over him again colder than the icy wind whipping about his wet jacket. He could've sworn the light was trying to lead him to safety-but then, what did he know about sorcery?

"Yeah, very funny!" he yelled at the orb, shooting a panicked glance back at the fast-approaching spiders. "Thought this would be a nicer place to die, did you?_"_ The light pulsed brighter, hovering about two feet away from Arthur. The teen shifted closer to the building's edge and looked down over the edge briefly. A gleam of light twinkled back at him. Water. If there was one thing spiders avoided, it was water. Arthur looked over the edge again. He took a shaky breath. The building wasn't very high. He could manage the fall… probably. A familiar scraping sound brought him sharply back to the moment. He could see one of them scrambling onto the last balcony. He had to move now. _You'd better be right about this_, he thought, fixing his eyes on the glowing orb. The first of his pursuers appeared on the roof. He stepped to the edge,

"Arthur!" Heavy footsteps echoed from the street below, and a heartbeat before he fell, Arthur saw several figures emerging from the shadows. "Arthur, no!" He heard the shout seconds before he hit the water and all the breath was knocked out of his lungs. It felt as if he'd collided with a wall of ice. Every inch of his body hurt from the impact, and when the water closed over his head, and he swallowed a mouthful if it rather than the air he so desperately needed. His head broke the surface and, disoriented and in pain, he struggled to cough up the water and catch his breath at the same time. The ethereal orb of light was gone, but street lamps all along the bank had come back on and their glow reflected on the surface of the river. Arthur thought he heard voices and the sound of gunfire. Between attempting to catch a breath and yell for help, he lost the struggle to stay afloat. Waves washed over his head again, filling his mouth a second time. When he resurfaced, light was flashing off the water all around him. Arthur was blinded momentarily by the glare of a huge floodlight which caught him full in the face.

"There he is!" Several shadows appeared nearby. Dark spots were beginning to dance across Arthur's vision. He went under a third time, weak and dizzy from lack of air, then an arm wrapped around his chest. He was hauled above the lapping waves and towed to the shore. Several hands stretched out to help him and his rescuer to firm ground. Arthur was set gently down on the bank and turned onto his side. He lay still for a moment, his face pressed against the gravelly rocks, gasping air back into his lungs. He was vaguely aware of the several people crowding about him. Voices were shouting above his head, and the gravel crunched as they moved about the bank nearby. A pair of boots came into Arthur's vision; someone was crouching beside him.

"Are you alright?" a voice demanded breathlessly. Arthur couldn't answer. He wanted nothing more than to lie on the rocky ground and just breathe, but a wave of sickness forced him to move. He rolled onto his hands and knees in time to cough up the water he'd swallowed. A firm hand gripped his shoulder and held him up when his arms threatened to give out. When he finished, the person helped him sit up, and he settled on the wet ground trembling from cold and exhaustion. He reached one hand into his pocket. The bottle was still there, and he curled his fingers around it, relieved beyond words that it hadn't fallen out in the water. _I'm alive, _he thought deliriously. He'd just jumped several balconies, escaped a horde of mastiff-sized spiders, and taken a plunge in the Thames... and here he was sitting on the bank, alive... breathing. He let out a shaky laugh. This couldn't even be real life... could it? _Morgana will never believe me._ The feeling of the cold glass against his fingers was like an anchor to reality—a souvenir of the night. "Arthur?" a voice persisted close to his ear low and anxious. Arthur looked up at his rescuer for the first time, brushing the gravel from his face and hair with his free hand, though he only succeeded in streaking his face with more dirt.

"L-Leon?" he registered, blinking at the sodden young man. His bodyguard's hair was plastered to his head, and muddy water dripped from his uniform. He'd plunged in, clothes and all, without a second thought. "Thought you were sick," Arthur said. Come to think of it, Leon did look about as miserable and exhausted as Arthur felt himself.

"I couldn't very well stay at home after they told me you were missing," Leon said wearily. "God, Arthur, you scared the life out of me."

"Sorry." Arthur offered a bit guiltily. The young man probably_ should_ have stayed home and rested. It was his fault the guard had just traipsed halfway across the town and taken a dunk in an ice cold river. Leon shrugged the apology off and got to his feet.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"Th-think so," Arthur said. Leon helped him up and caught him by the elbow when he staggered. The leg he'd twisted earlier was throbbing fiercely, and he felt like collapsing now that the adrenaline was wearing off. "Maybe not," he said with a grimace.

"I've got you." Leon slung Arthur's arm around his shoulders and pulled him the rest of the way to his feet. "Come on. We'll get you something warm to wear and take you home." Arthur was too tired, cold, and shaken to protest, and he was only too grateful when Leon escorted him into the back of a blissfully warm and dry patrol car and wrapped him in a thick blanket. Arthur sank into the warm seat, huddling against the side of the car wearily, and let his eyes drift shut. He reached back into his pocket, letting his fingers brush the cool glass bottle, and one thought drifted to the forefront of his mind: how could he get the antidote to Gaius?


	12. To Protect

"Arthur!" A hand shook the teen's shoulder gently. Arthur groaned. His cheek was pressed against a cold pane of glass, and a heavy blanket was draped around his shoulders. It took him a moment to remember why he was waking up in a car and his why his clothes felt heavy and damp. With the gradual return of consciousness he was beginning to feel the results of the late night escapade. Every movement reminded him of something else that was bruised or twisted. "Arthur," Leon repeated, drawing back from him as the teen lifted his head. "Your father wants to see you as soon as possible."

"Oh," Arthur muttered. His heart sank at Leon's words. Facing his father was not a prospect he looked forward too. He briefly weighed the benefits of playing up his injuries, but Leon already looked highly concerned. Arthur reluctantly shrugged off the warm blanket and struggled to his feet, determined not to wince when he set his weight tentatively on his hurt foot. Morgana's face appeared in a ground-floor window, her pale eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and alarm. Arthur caught her eye as he approached the house and reached one hand purposefully into his jacket pocket. Morgana gave him the barest of nods in response and swept out of sight as Arthur was accompanied inside.

Uther had his back to the doorway when Arthur entered his office, divested of his soaked clothes, though his brief attempt to flatten his mussed hair left it more unruly than before. Arthur shifted his weight uncomfortably. He didn't need to see his father's tense shoulders and tightly clasped hands to know that he was in for a storm. He kept his eyes fixed on his socks, inspecting a growing hole in the toe as Uther turned to him.

"_What_ were you thinking?" Uther's voice was soft, but the teen could hear anger simmering underneath. "You left the house half an hour before curfew without so much as a word and disappeared for hours. No one had so much as a clue where you were. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" _Considering that I just nearly became spider food, I think I may have, _Arthur reflected sardonically, though he didn't dare say it. "I hope," Uther continued levelly, "That you have a very good explanation for your actions." Arthur lifted his head though carefully avoiding Uther's eyes.  
"Gaius couldn't leave the hospital. I went to get the antidote for him,"

"You disobeyed me." The blatant disapproval in Uther's voice made Arthur's temper flare.

"Of course I did!" he snapped. "I wasn't going to sit here and let Merlin die!"

"_You _could have died!"

"So could he! It didn't stop him!" Arthur retorted. Uther's eyes flashed.

"You do not understand—"

"I understand perfectly!" Arthur shouted furiously, cutting his father short. The expression on Uther's face told the teen that he'd probably sealed his fate, but he didn't care. "I understand that Gaius knew where to get an antidote, and I _understand _that you weren't going to do a _damn_ thing about it. You were going to let him die! Merlin saved my life. I can at least try to do the same for him!"

"It was not your place to go!" Uther's voice rose in volume to match the teen's. "Nor is it your right to throw your life away. You are too valuable!"

"Why?" Arthur demanded. He looked up abruptly and met his father's eyes for the first time since entering the house. His hands curled convulsively into fists. "What makes me so much more _valuable _than him? Why should I expect anyone to die for me? What have I done to deserve that?"

"The world isn't fair, Arthur," Uther's voice dropped again into a soft, warning tone, meeting the teen's challenging gaze evenly. He took a step closer, and Arthur stood his ground, not breaking eye contact. "You are my son, and your safety is more important to me than anything. I can protect you, and I will, whether or not you like it."

"It's _my_ life," Arthur snarled.

"Arthur, I could not forgive myself if anything ever happened to you." Arthur blinked and slowly closed his mouth, caught off guard, and with the anger in his father's eyes, his own trickled away, stripping from him the restless energy that fueled him. He closed his eyes briefly, fighting away a dizzying wave of exhaustion. "Arthur," his father's voice was quieter now but carried an edge of tension. "I need you to tell me what happened. Did you meet Brigid Fyr?" Arthur's hand slipped almost unconsciously into his pocket, and he hesitated before giving a short nod in response. "What did she give you?" his father pressed. Arthur hesitated again. The silence still felt tense, and he had little energy left to argue. He looked swiftly up at his father's face then drew out the bottle and held it up in the palm of his hand.

"It's for Merlin. She said it would counteract the poison." He bit his lip anxiously at his father's entirely unreadable expression. "Please… I'll take whatever punishment you give me. I swear I won't put a foot out of line. Just… make sure Merlin gets it." Uther took the bottle and turned it slowly over in his hands. Arthur could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest, and he watched with a mixture of desperate hope and unease. His father set it on his desk and turned decisively to one of the Patroni.

"Find the Brigid Fyr," he ordered. "Have her arrested."

"_What?_" Arthur's eyes widened in shock and outrage. "You can't do that! Gaius trusts her! He said—"

"Gaius," Uther interrupted, "Is too trusting by far. She clearly tried to kill you."

"It wasn't her," Arthur protested. "There was another woman—younger. She said she was an old friend of yours. I saw her conjure the spiders myself."

"A sorceress has many faces, Arthur," Uther said impassively.

"It wasn't her!" Arthur raised his voice angrily. "You can't arrest her on suspicion. She hasn't _done _anything!"

"You've been through a lot tonight, Arthur." Uther turned away. "We will discuss this in the morning when you are thinking clearly."

"Merlin may not _have _until morning!" Arthur shouted, taking an impulsive step after his father. He let out a strangled gasp and grasped at the back of a chair to steady himself and take the weight off his ankle.

"Arthur?" Leon moved to stand quietly at his side, his brows drawn together.

"Leon," Uther turned back to face the guard. "You are better I trust?"

"Yes, sir."

"Get some dry clothes and returned here as soon as possible. You will be staying close to Arthur until further notice."

"Yes, sir," Leon repeated. He glanced reluctantly at Arthur who had a white-knuckled grip on the chair beside him, then he turned and quietly left the room. The silence that he left fairly crackled with tension. Arthur fought to steady his breathing, and he lifted his head to look angrily at his father.

"I'm thinking clearly _now_," he ground out. "We have to give Gaius the antidote."

"I said we would discuss this _in the morning_." Uther turned his attention to one of the files on his desk. Arthur's jaw clenched.

"You're going to let Merlin die." His voice was laced with bitter accusation.

"That witch's brew will not help him," Uther replied.

"We have nothing to lose by trying!" Arthur retorted. At that, his father looked up sharply, and the anger rekindled in his steel gray eyes.

"You will show respect when speaking to me," he said, his voice cold. "I will not tolerate behavior of this nature. There will not be a repeat of this incident. Do you understand?" Arthur stood burning with suppressed fury, and kept silent perhaps for longer than was wise.

"I understand."

"See that you do." Uther returned his attention to the files on his desk. "You may go. You will not set foot outside your room without my permission. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Arthur said tersely, eyes straying to the bottle still sitting on his father's desk. Uther followed his gaze and silently swept the bottle into his bin. Arthur curled his fingers hard into the palm of his hand, turned without another word, and limped determinedly out of the room. He brushed past Morgana who stood at the foot of the stairs and headed straight for his room.

Arthur sank onto his bed and clenched both hands in his hair. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so exhausted. His ankle throbbed and his head was pounding from hunger and lack of sleep. He tucked his knees up to his chest, rested his head on the rough, damp cloth of his jeans, and sat still, fighting a sick feeling of anger and despair. Voices murmured quietly from the main floor below him, and he heard footsteps on the stairs. He could pick out Uther's voice and what was probably a Patronus reporting on Brigid Fyr's arrest. After a while, the noise died down, and the front door clicked shut, leaving the house in silence. Arthur leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, but his shoulders remained taut. His head seemed to pound still worse when he tried to relax. He couldn't tear his thoughts from the bottle still downstairs in his father's office and the bitter, burning anger left from his encounter with his father. He had to do something… find some way to get it out of the house… but god, his head hurt, and he was tired… so tired…

"Arthur?" The voice sent a throb of pain through his already aching head. Arthur blinked open his eyes, both irritated and surprised at the same time. Morgana had come silently into the room. "Are you alright?" A fine crease had appeared between her dark eyebrows. Arthur graced her with a black look.

"What do you think?" he growled. "My head is killing me, I've just been grounded for life, dad's having Brigid arrested for sorcery she didn't do, and Merlin's going to die because neither of us can leave the house now, even if we did have the antidote. " Morgana raised an eyebrow, her expression clearing slightly.

"Right on all points but one." She lifted a hand, dangling a small item before his eyes with a smirk. Arthur's eyes widened and he sat up abruptly.

"How the hell did you get that?" he demanded, leaning forward to inspect it as if it might be a fake.

"Uther left his office to talk with the Patroni," Morgana said smugly. "I doubt he'll notice it's missing. It was buried under several papers in the bin." Arthur blinked at the little bottle and slowly shook his head.

"Morgana, that's great, but how —" Morgana held up a finger, silencing him. Footsteps came up the stairs and passed the room. The two teens heard the voices start up again on the ground floor.

"I can't stay long," Morgana said in a low voice. "Uther would be furious if he saw me talking to you; he already knows I was covering for you earlier. I've called Gwen. She'll be here in a minute. She can take the bottle to Gaius as soon as curfew lifts. My window's at the front of the house, and she'd be seen, so I told her to come around the side where Gaius' apartment is opposite your window. You just need to pass the bottle down to her when—"

"Morgana!" Arthur and Morgana both froze. Morgana pressed the bottle into Arthur's hand and backed away.

"Keep an eye on the window!" she urged and hurried out of the room, shutting the door silently behind herself.

Before long, Arthur heard Morgana's voice join the cacophony on the main floor, and his father's voice rose to match her angry tone. Leave it to Morgana to get his dad riled up. Arthur had never figured out how it was that the girl managed to push all of Uther's buttons so easily. He sighed and sat down on his windowsill, leaning against the cool glass. It soothed his pounding head just a bit. In the beam of light shed by the lamps, he could see the snow coming down thick and fast. Sure enough, as his father and Morgana continued their row, a figure too small to be a Patronus appeared around the corner of Gaius' apartment. Her hood had fallen back, and she paused, standing in the shadows between the two buildings, her hands deep in the pockets of the jacket. Her eyes flicked over the side of the building, searching for the right window. Arthur moved to crack it open.

"Guinevere," he hissed, pressing a hand experimentally against the screen. The girl started and looked up at him with wide, anxious eyes.

"Arthur? Where's Morgana?"

"Doesn't matter. D'you know what you need to do?" he demanded. She nodded firmly. "Brilliant. Here, I've got the antidote." Arthur cautiously popped out a corner of the screen and as a precaution snatched a shirt from the end of his bed. He bundled the antidote inside before letting it drop from the window into Gwen's waiting hands. "Did anyone see you?" he asked, eyes straying to the end of the street. The Patroni seemed occupied for the moment inside, speaking to Uther.

"Not yet," Guinevere said. She extracted the bottle from the shirt and put it into a pocket. Arthur bit his lip, hearing the sound of several more heavy footsteps in the background from Patroni entering the house on the ground floor. Someone was coming up the stairs as well. He could ill afford someone hearing him talk to Guinevere. Arthur shot a cursory glance at his door.

"Guinevere." The girl paused to look up at Arthur, her brow creased in an anxious frown. "Be careful," he ventured a bit embarrassedly. A smile flitted across Gwen's face briefly.

"I will be. I'll send Morgana a message when I get there." Gwen tugged her hood up, and a heartbeat later vanished around the corner again.


	13. Safe

**AN: **First to my reviewer **Hello I Am-**thanks for the review! :D I'm glad you like it so far.

To ALL of you, I'm so terribly sorry! This took an inexcusably long amount of time, and I REALLY hope you'll forgive me. All you lovely readers who're still here-you are fantastic. And if it would help at all, I'll write you a one-shot request if you go pester me in a PM. Or a review... I've been thinking about joining the one-shot bandwagon anyways. ^^ Anywayyyyys ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

Shadows, muffled noises, dulled pain. Merlin struggled to fix on something real and tangible as he stirred into half-consciousness. He had long since lost track of what was dream and reality. His mind had become a blur of confusing half-delirious dreams and reality, flitting between clear and hazy sight with dizzying rapidity. The first thing Merlin became consciously aware of was voices. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying at first, but he registered his name, and it helped rouse him from the thick fog that clouded his mind. He lay still, listening, and gradually became aware of a soft mechanical beep by his left ear, a thin blanket covering him, and a strange, unfamiliar smell in the air. For the first time in what seemed an eternity, his senses felt clear again. With the full return of consciousness, his body felt heavy and sore as if he hadn't moved for days. Merlin turned his head towards the sound of the voices and slowly blinked open his eyes. Sharp, unpleasant light shone in his face and sent a dull stab of pain through his head. He squinted, trying halfheartedly to discern the figures nearby. Someone moved into his line of vision, blocking out the worst of the glare.

"I can stay here and watch him," one of the voices said, very close to him. _Gwen, _Merlin realized as the nearest figure came into focus. She was sitting in a chair beside his bed, her face turned away from him, and her long, dark curls were pulled back in a loose hair tie. Just beyond her, Merlin recognized Gaius, his form outlined by the light of a window—the light which had first glared in his eyes.

"No, thank you, Gwen. You've been very helpful already. You should get back to school."

"I'm excused for the day," the girl answered. "You've been up all night; you should get rest."

"Gwen,"

"At least get something to eat, then," she interrupted before Gaius could argue. "He probably won't wake up for another hour yet." Merlin's brow creased. They were talking about him, he realized somewhat muzzily. Unable to resist, he propped himself cautiously up on one elbow.

"Who won't wake up?" he demanded. The effort made his head spin, but he managed to prop himself in a half-sitting position. A grin spread across his face when his friend started and spun around so fast she nearly toppled from her chair.

"_Merlin_!" Gwen gasped. "You're awake!" Before the teen had a chance to respond, Gwen threw her arms around him and buried her face against his neck. Bewildered, Merlin tentatively patted her back with a clumsy hand, and after a moment she pulled back, sniffing and scrubbing a hand across her eyes. She blinked at him. "I… sorry. I just…" Gwen faltered, and there was a slight tremble in her voice. "They wouldn't let me see you earlier when I came, and Gaius said… well… I thought—"

"It's fine," Merlin said, cutting her short. "I mean… I'm fine, really. All in one piece still." He moved one hand to brush his hair back from his face and felt a sharp twinge of pain. "I think," he added with a grimace. He stared at the thin, colorful tube taped to the back of his hand. An IV. Why was he on an IV drip?

"Gwen, could you get Merlin a cup of water?" Gaius appeared at the girl's side, offering Merlin a tired smile. Judging from the shuffle in his step and the shadows under his eyes, the teen had to agree with Gwen; his uncle really did need rest.

"Of course," the flustered girl acquiesced hurriedly. Dashing her hand across her eyes again, she got to her feet and hurried out of the room without another word. Merlin let himself sink back onto the bed and closed his eyes for a moment against a fresh wave of dizziness. Gaius took the seat beside his bed and gently adjusted the pillow so Merlin could sit up a bit.

"How are you feeling?" Gaius asked.

"Er… alright I guess." Despite lingering dizziness and exhaustion, it was certainly an improvement on the blurred and pain-ridden snippets of memory Merlin could recall from his last moments of consciousness. "Wh… what happened?" he ventured. "Did I pass out?"

"Merlin, you've been unconscious for nearly twenty-four hours," Gaius told him quietly.

"Oh." If he hadn't been so tired, Merlin might have been more surprised at the statement. As it was, he could only frown in mild disbelief.

"Do you remember anything?" his uncle asked. Merlin shrugged. Just the thought of filtering through his recent shadowy and disconnected memories made him dizzy. Gaius seemed very intent on the matter, though. His brow creased in a frown. An increasingly thick fog seemed to be re-clouding his overtired mind.

"I… remember the man with the knife, and Arthur and Gwen. She kept telling me to stay awake. I… think you were there too. "

"And nothing at all after that?" Gaius pressed.

"No…" Merlin drew out the word slowly. He was tempted to just relax against the pillows and let his eyes close again, but Gaius' persistence made him uneasy. He turned his head against the crisp, starched pillow and tried to focus on his uncle's face. "What's wrong?" A fuzzy memory of the assassin floated through his mind along with the image of Arthur inspecting a long gash in his coat. The knife… He tried to struggle upright again, suddenly alarmed. "Was Arthur hurt too?"

"No, no. Arthur's fine," Gaius assured him quickly, putting a restraining hand on his shoulder. Merlin let out a breath and settled down again, too tired to ask further.

"He wasn't at school today, though." Gwen interrupted, returning with a Styrofoam cup in her hand. "Morgana said the Patroni brought him back last night after he went looking for Brigid. Leon found him in the Thames, and there were giant spiders…" Gwen trailed off at a sharp look from Gaius and quietly handed the cup to Merlin's uncle.

"What…?" Merlin mumbled, blinking at Gwen. _Giant spiders.._. He was seriously beginning to wonder just how awake he was. Surely he hadn't heard right. _What on earth would Arthur be doing in the Thames? And who's Bri..Brigid…?_ His thoughts were flickering away like fish in a stream. "What happened to Arthur?" he murmured. "Wh-why wasn't he…" the thought slipped away like everything else. Gaius ignored the question and cupped the back of Merlin's head with one hand, holding the cup to his nephew's lips.

"It doesn't matter," Gaius said. Merlin let the matter drop. The water felt wonderfully cool on his tongue and throat. He hadn't realized just how dry they were until he tasted it. "Alright?" Gaius asked, taking the cup when Merlin finished and settling him back against the pillows. Merlin nodded wearily. Something important was niggling at the back of his mind—something he needed to know, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. He reached out and gripped weakly at his uncle's sleeve.

"Gaius…"

"It's alright," Gaius assured him quietly. "Everything is alright. Sleep, Merlin."

"'ve already slept," Merlin protested, but his eyes were involuntarily drifting shut again. "Can't we go home now?" he muttered drowsily, squinting when Gaius leaned forward to untangle the IV, leaving the light shining in his nephew's eyes again. Merlin turned his head away.

"Soon," Gaius answered as the teen shut his eyes again, and through heavy fog of sleep settling over him, Merlin was aware of a hand gently brushing back his damp hair from his forehead. "We'll go home soon."

* * *

The main floor at noon was its usual cacophony of booted footsteps, doors slamming, and voices. Arthur Pendragon kept his head down, staring listlessly at the food on his plate. He had eventually been driven out of his room by the hunger gnawing at his stomach, but the food tasted like dust in his mouth. It had been hours since he'd spoken a word to anyone. Without his mobile, he couldn't contact Morgana or Guinevere to ask what had happened. He didn't know if Gwen had made it to the hospital or even if the little antidote from Brigid had helped. To block out the unnerving silence of the house when the Patroni had gone, he flipped through the albums on his iPod and sat at the table, running a finger over the screen of the iPod while his mind flitted over the possible outcomes of the morning, each one more bleak than the last. With each imagined scenario, the knot in his throat tightened unpleasantly and the remainder of his lunch seemed less and less appealing. He spared a last glance for the abandoned sandwich and got to his feet, causing several sore muscles to scream in protest. He could at least check his laptop in case one of the kids from school had mentioned something relevant to Merlin on the social networks.

"Arthur." The teenager froze in his steps, feeling for all the world like a criminal caught in the act, and took out his earbuds, silently cursing himself for not paying better attention. He hadn't heard his father's step over the sound of his music. Like as not he'd be grounded for the rest of the year now, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Uther's impassive expression reminded him of the callous dismissal he'd received the night before, and resentment sprang up again to burn fiercely in his eyes. "Sit down, please," Uther said, stepping into the room. Arthur wordlessly limped back to the table and returned to his seat. Uther took the seat across from him, and there was a moment of strained silence in which Arthur stubbornly kept his eyes fixed on his half-eaten sandwich. "Gaius returned from the hospital half an hour ago," Uther said at length. Arthur's shoulders tensed. He began wrapping the cord of his earbuds around his fingers, carefully avoiding his father's eyes. "Merlin took a turn for the better this morning. He's returned home under Gaius' care." _Guinevere._ Arthur let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. She'd done it! He could've hugged the girl. "Arthur," Uther pressed, his voice acquiring a quiet but demanding edge. Reluctantly, Arthur lifted his head though he continued to avoid eye contact. "What I said last night..." Uther paused with uncharacteristic uncertainty. "I did not mean to say that Merlin's life was worthless, nor that I did not care if he died."

"You didn't even _try _to save him," Arthur growled, a spark of resentment rekindling again in his chest. He darted a look at Uther and caught the warning expression on his father's face.

"If there had been anything more I thought would help, I would have done it," Uther replied levelly. "Gaius knew better than to suggest Brigid Fyr. She practiced magic many years before the Purge. Gaius swore on her behalf that she was no longer practicing, and I allowed her to remain in the country under surveillance. Clearly, she hoped to use her connection with my physician to garner trust." Arthur's eyes widened.

"But Gaius would never—"

"No," Uther cut him short. "Gaius believed he was doing what was right, just as you did." There was a pause. Arthur slowly untangled his iPod cord from around his hand, and when the silence persisted restlessly began to wrap it about his fingers again. "You could not have known of Brigid's history, and I did not tell you," Uther said at last. "She is not to be trusted. Magic corrupts the minds of even the best people. As every man and woman like her, she would restore the rule of sorcery to this country. With you as a bargaining piece, she could have done a great deal of damage." And yet she hadn't; she'd not only sent the right antidote for Merlin, but she'd let Arthur go free. Arthur knew as well as any resident of Camelot how dangerous magic could be. It wasn't even that long since he'd seen Gareth hurled into a wall by the invisible force of a sorcerer's power and stood at gunpoint at the same man's mercy. He never once doubted his father's assessment of sorcerers, and it made his insides crawl when he realized he'd been face to face with not one but two just the night before. But what his father was telling him didn't make sense. If Brigid was a sorceress… why had she helped him? Why hadn't she killed him? Was it possible, then, that even a sorceress, corrupted as his father said by her magic, had risked her own life to repay her debt—to return a favor for Gaius' protection of her during the Purge? And the orb of light that had led him safely away from the spiders; had that been Brigid's work as well? "Arthur," Uther's tone demanded his attention, and Arthur reluctantly raised his head. "I realize that you acted as you did because you wanted to save a life. Misguided though your actions were, you did the right thing. However, you put yourself at an unnecessary risk. Do you understand why this must not happen again?"

"Yes, sir." Silence fell between the two again. Uther stood and Arthur glanced up at him, hesitant to ask the last persistent question in his mind. _'Don't make promises you can't keep, Pendragon.' _Brigid's words rang in the teenager's ears. She'd been right; he had never been in a position to promise her safety, and now he was afraid he'd condemned her to death for helping him. Arthur gritted his teeth. "Dad." Uther paused to look at him. "What happened to Brigid Fyr?" Uther sighed.

"The sorceress has disappeared," he answered. "The Patroni are still out searching for her." The knowledge, strangely, made some of Arthur's guilt abate. His intrusion had clearly still been a rude interruption into the woman's life, but he couldn't help being grateful that she hadn't been killed. Whatever the woman's intentions might be, she had saved Merlin's life. "You will have to stay within the neighborhood for the time. Leon will be escorting you wherever you need to go." Arthur nodded.

"Of course." He hadn't expected any less.

"Good." Uther stood and put a hand briefly on Arthur's shoulder. "You should go have that ankle looked at, then we'll find something decent for you to eat.

* * *

Gaius was nowhere in sight when Arthur made his way haltingly up the stairs and entered the apartment, unlocked as usual. The blond teen peered briefly around into Gaius' surgery, but the physician wasn't there either.

"Gaius?" He wandered back into the main room and reached absentmindedly for a pillow on the couch which promptly shifted just out of his reach. _What?_ Arthur blinked and edged around the couch to discover a tousled head of black hair half-hidden under a blanket. _Ah._ The last time he'd seen Merlin, the boy had been lying in a pristine hospital bed with an IV line, his face contorted with pain. Now his eyes were closed, and the blanket rose and fell rhythmically with his steady breathing. It almost seemed a crime to disturb him… almost. But then, the lazy lump had probably been asleep all morning. Besides, he would know where Gaius was. Arthur leaned down close to the boy's ear and asked loudly,

"Still alive, then, Merlin?" Arthur pulled quickly back when the addressee gratifyingly startled awake and nearly toppled off the cough attempting to find the source of the voice. Arthur limped over to the chair across from his startled companion and flopped down in it, grinning. He was graced with an exasperated look before Merlin buried his face in the pillow again.

"Prat," the dark haired boy mumbled, his voice muffled by the cloth.

"You've really got to think of some new insults. That one's getting old," Arthur responded smugly.

"It suits you," Merlin muttered. Arthur let the comment slide with a derisive snort.

"Where's Gaius?" he asked. Merlin propped himself up on one elbow, lips quirking in an impish smile.

"What, you mean you didn't come to see me?" he inquired. Arthur shrugged.

"Thought I might look in. I put a lot of effort into keeping you alive," he said. Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"Never knew you cared."

"I was just making sure I wouldn't have to work with Gareth for the rest of our project," Arthur hedged. Merlin huffed disbelievingly and closed his eyes, settling back against the arm of the couch again. Arthur allowed him a few seconds of peace before impatience got the better of him. "So… where is Gaius?" he ventured at last. Merlin cracked one eye open, and just for a moment looked suitably annoyed.

"He's not here."

"I can _see_ that. But where is he?"

"Getting takeout," Merlin said.

"Takeout?" Arthur echoed.

"Chicken tikka," (1) Merlin specified with a grin. "Turns out there are some perks to getting stabbed and almost dying." Arthur rolled his eyes. It was positively ridiculous how quickly Merlin's good mood returned. He hadn't yet figured out how to faze the boy.

"You didn't get _stabbed, _Merlin. Don't be so dramatic," he said.

"Close enough," Merlin yawned, turning his head back against the pillow. His eyes were drifting shut again, and it vaguely occurred to Arthur that Gaius would be less than pleased to find his patient's rest disturbed. He hadn't forgotten how the physician had grilled him for his fight with Merlin months earlier. He stood up abruptly.

"Right. Well I think I'll come back when there's someone intelligent here to talk to."

"Thanks," Merlin muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"No problem. Wouldn't want your head getting any bigger," Arthur responded cheerfully, limping towards the door.

"Said the pot to the kettle," came the quiet response as Arthur turned the doorknob.

"Shut up, Merlin."

* * *

(1) I will be VERY impressed if anyone call tell me where Chicken tikka was mentioned...

If you haven't already seen it, watch the Merlin 'Children in Need' clips on Youtube. They're hilarious. :)

Up next... the PLOT HEAVY chapter. D: Hopefully the next two chapters will give you some hardcore information about the history of magic in this world and why it's now an offense punishable by death.

Stay tuned, and thank you so much for reading!


	14. A Voiceless Plea

The pale headlights of each car on the road lit up a patch of sky, catching gleaming snowflakes as they drifted to the pavement. Tires crunched on the slick, ice-coated road, and the voices of the Patroni murmured softly to each passer. In the shadows of the road-side, by the tall wire-fence topped with barbed wire, two dark figures crouched, one watching the exchange intently, the other huddled close to his first's side, his small frame trembling. He tipped his head back to look up at the face of his companion.

"Cerdan?" His voice was soft and anxious.

"Shh." The larger of the two figures put an arm around his small companion's shoulder. "Not much further now. There'll be a warm place for us to sleep, I promise. But you have to be quiet a little longer and do exactly as I say." The boy nodded and shuffled closer to the taller person, blinking moisture from his watering eyes. Several meters away, the reflective traffic barrier rose, allowing the first of the two cars in line to pass. As the second pulled up, Cerdan leaned forward, and his eyes flashed in the darkness. A metal pipe on the bottom of the car disconnected and fell to the ground with a loud clang and screeched along the cement. The car pulled to an abrupt stop, and both the driver and the Patronus stepped out into the cold to inspect the damage. "Now!" Cerdan hissed, pulling the boy to his feet. The boy gripped Cerdan's hand tightly and both slipped through the gap between booth and fence, fleeing for shelter out of sight of the gate.

Just inside the neighborhood, the two figures crossed the street silently and flitted from shadow to shadow, staying close to the houses. At one small house close to the corner of the street, Cerdan led his companion up the steps and discreetly knocked on the door. The boy huddled close to him, beginning to shiver again. Cerdan rubbed his shoulders comfortingly. The door opened a crack.

"Just two of you?" a low voice asked. Cerdan nodded.

"We'll only stay the night. We're just passing through," he said. The man at the door nodded and glanced briefly down at the boy. Something in his face, obscured in the half-lighting of the doorway, shifted when he saw the young one shivering, and he stepped back a bit as if to let them in.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling the door back again.

"What—" Cerdan's eyes darted to the man's face, and he reached out to stop the door, but it clicked abruptly shut. The man was gone. The boy was tugging nervously at his guardian's sleeve, and Cerdan turned sharply about. The crunch of boots on the street was all too clearly audible. Without a moment's hesitation the two figures set off down the street again. The approaching patrol took up the chase.

"Stop right there!" one of the guards shouted. Cerdan gripped the boy's hand tightly and sprinted for the corner. A gunshot rang out in the silent street. It was followed by a high pitched cry of pain. The boy stumbled. Cerdan snatched him up in his arms and darted around the corner into a gap between the houses. He pressed his back to the wall of one building and clutched the boy close to his chest.

"Alright. You're alright," he murmured softly, stroking the boy's hair. "Can you walk a little farther?" The boy blinked back tears fiercely and nodded, clutching the wounded arm. Cerdan set the boy on his feet and dropped to his knees, taking him by the shoulders. "Look at me," he ordered. "I'm going to lift you over the fence. I need you to stay in the shadows and run as far as you can. Find somewhere to hide, and call for help. Can you do that?" The boy nodded again. "Good boy." Cerdan squeezed his shoulders then swung him up over the fence and gently let him drop to the other side. "Now run!" The boy paused for the barest moment, his eyes wide and frightened as he looked back at Cerdan. "Run!" the man hissed sharply, and as the Patroni turned into the narrow passage between the houses, the pale lights on their guns glaring on Cerdan, the boy ran. A harsh word spoken in the ancient language sent two Patroni backwards to hit the wall with a sickening crunch. Only seconds later, a second gun report echoed through the street, and a body hit the ground. An eerie silence followed the report.

"Find the boy," one guard ordered. As one, the uniformed men moved out into the dark neighborhood, over the crunch of booted feet on the snow, the boy's light, quick footsteps went unheard.

* * *

"So, how soon are you leaving?" Gwen asked, looking back at Merlin as he caught up and fell into step with her.

"Two days after school ends," Merlin said cheerfully. "I haven't bought the plane tickets yet, but the prices look reasonable. Mum said she'd buy them as soon as her next paycheck comes in." He finished a bit breathlessly, adjusting his scarf and slacking his pace a bit.

"That's great! So you'll be back for Christmas," she said warmly. Merlin grinned.

"Yep. That's been the plan." Gwen slowed to match his step, and her brow creased in concern.

"Are… you sure you're alright?" Merlin felt his ears beginning to warm. He self consciously quickened his step and hooked his fingers under the straps of his backpack, tugging it forward.

"Gwen, I'm fine," he insisted. "Honestly, you're as bad as Gaius," If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought that his uncle put the girl up to it, but Gwen was enough of a worrier on her own to watch him like a hawk without prompting. It had been a few days since Gaius had allowed him back in school after the poisoning incident—a welcome change after being fussed over for two days. He'd been fine most of the day, but of course Gwen had managed to cross paths with him while he was sitting down to let a brief moment of dizziness pass. The antidote had eliminated most of the poison's effects, but dizziness had been the longest lingering problem. Gwen had very nearly called his uncle on the spot. She'd been eyeing him anxiously ever since.

"Sorry," Gwen looked quickly away. "It's just—"

"It's fine," Merlin said, turning to look back as she stopped on the sidewalk in front of the Pendragon house. "Really, Gwen, stop worrying about me. I feel great. I'll see you tomorrow in class, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course," Gwen said. "I can… I mean, if you're behind, I could show you the material you missed after class."

"That'd be great." Merlin said brightly, relaxing. Gwen shifted her feet, avoiding his gaze hesitantly, as if she were debating whether or not to say something, then she shrugged her backpack off.

"I... I got something—er, I mean I brought something for you. I mean, well, it's already yours. It was a bit dirty when I picked it up, so I thought I'd wash it before I gave it back, and I almost forgot… I… hope you don't mind. But..." She stopped her anxious rambling and retrieved something from her pack. "Here," she said and pressed a piece of soft fabric into Merlin's hands. He took it, a bit bewildered, and unraveled a length of long, familiar blue cloth. His eyes widened in astonishment.

"You... found my scarf?" Gwen shrugged.

"Well... you left it on the sidewalk," she said, clasping her hands and looking shyly from Merlin's face to the scarf in his hands. Merlin grinned.

"No, of course not. Thanks, Gwen! I thought I'd lost it!" Gwen ducked her head, blushing.

"Gwen!" Both teens looked up. Morgana, with impeccable timing as always, had appeared in the doorway of the Pendragon house. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, coming. Sorry!" Gwen smiled briefly at Merlin, still shyly avoiding eye contact. "I'll see you tomorrow, Merlin." She turned and hurried up the walkway to join Morgana. Merlin didn't miss the dark haired girl's delicately arched eyebrow and smirk. He rolled his eyes and buried his cold fingers gratefully in the thick scarf as he headed for his apartment.

"Gaius?" Merlin knocked loudly on the apartment door. "Gaius, please open the door." No response. Merlin sighed and set his backpack down. _Where are you? I can't get into the apartment, _he texted and leaned back against the wall, propping his backpack against one foot and nudging it absentmindedly as he waited for Gaius to unlock the door. His answer came, instead, in the form of a responding text:

_I've been called out on an urgent house visit. Use your key._ Merlin groaned and stuffed his mobile back in his pocket. Of all days, of course Gaius would chose the day he _forgot _his key to actually lock the apartment door for once. He'd have to wait until Gaius got back. He slung his backpack over one shoulder and traipsed back down the stairs. Gaius would probably… well, hopefully be back within the hour. He took a seat on the bottom step and tucked his newly returned scarf into his backpack. The snow had stopped early in the morning, but Merlin could still see his breath billow out in a misty white cloud. It was going to be a long wait.

_Help! _The cry startled Merlin out of his thoughts. He sat up and looked around for the source of the sound, but the street was empty.

"Hello?" He stood up. "Gwen, are you there?" The voice hadn't sounded like Gwen, though.

_Help me. _It took a heartbeat for the teen to realize what he hadn't wanted to believe the first time he heard it. The voice wasn't a voice at all. Just like his first month in Camelot when the dragon had summoned him, he was hearing the voice somewhere deep inside his mind. He shivered. This could not be good. He got to his feet, focusing on the faint prick of consciousness at the back of his mind—the one that had spoken to him. Again, much as the day he'd gone searching for the source of the dragon's voice, he felt a gentle nudge in the direction of the street corner. Merlin shrugged his backpack on and jogged down the street, following the hunch.

_I'm coming, _he responded forcefully in his mind. _Where are you?_

_They're going to kill me! _A surge of panic and desperation accompanied the mind-voice this time. _Please, help me! _it begged. Merlin rounded the corner in determined pursuit.

_I'll help you, alright? Tell me where you are_. He started when something nearby shifted and turned to find himself looking at a small, huddled figure, half-hidden in the shadow of a house. It was a boy—certainly no older than nine years old—who stared up at Merlin with round, frightened blue eyes. He was bundled in a puffy green winter jacket but shivering nonetheless, and he clutched one shoulder gingerly with the opposite hand. Merlin edged slowly closer and crouched in front of him, switching naturally to vocal communication.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently. The boy blinked at him and shook his head. Booted footsteps echoed down the street, perhaps a block away, and the boy's eyes grew rounder still.

_Please, they're looking for me_, he said fearfully, still speaking clearly in Merlin's mind. Merlin bit his lip. It occurred easily enough to him that the boy had to know magic to be speaking in his mind. Only the dragon had done that before. But how would the Patroni know that this had magic? For that matter… how had the boy gotten into Camelot to start with? People weren't allowed to simply walk in as they wished. _Please! _The boy's desperate voice pleaded as the footsteps drew closer. Merlin stood up briskly, having reached a decision.

"Come on," he whispered, beckoning as he glanced around the corner. The Patroni were still far enough away. Merlin put a hand on the boy's unhurt shoulder and steered him around the corner. He urged the boy gently towards the apartments but drew to a stop in front of the Pendragon house, his breath catching in his throat. _Gaius isn't back yet... _He felt his heart sinking. The apartment was still locked. He had nowhere to hide the boy. The Patroni were drawing closer. He could hear them talking as they moved towards the corner. He didn't have time to think. They had to move now. On an impulse, he seized the boy's hand, darted up the Pendragons' walkway, and tore open the door. He and the boy slipped inside, and Merlin shut the door behind them with a loud click just as the two officers turned the corner.

"The doorbell _is _there for a reason... Merlin." Morgana trailed off, peering around the doorway to the dining room, and the amusement vanished from her face as she caught sight of the second, smaller unexpected guest. The boy shuffled backwards, and Merlin swallowed hard but put an arm reassuringly around the boy's shoulders. Gwen had, by that point, appeared in the doorway as well, surprised and curious.

"The... the Patroni were looking for him. He said they were going to kill him. I... I didn't know what to do," Merlin explained weakly, squeezing the boy's shoulder in a vain attempt at comfort. The boy's whole body was beginning to tremble, and Merlin looked down at him in time to see his eyes roll back and his entire body go limp. He dropped to his knees and caught the child, supporting his head as he lowered him to the floor. The two girls were at his side in a heartbeat.

"He's cold as ice!" Gwen gasped, touching his face gently with one hand. "Oh, Merlin, what happened to his shoulder?" Merlin shook his head.

"I found him like this," he said. His throat tightened at the sight of the bloodied and torn cloth on the boy's shoulder. He had a sick feeling that he knew what had happened. The Patroni had good aim. If they were out to kill the boy, it was lucky he'd made it this far. Morgana reached up and brushed his hair back from his forehead, and her brow creased in concern.

"We should bring him up to my room," she said brusquely.

"I've got him," Merlin said. He gathered the boy up as gently as he could and followed her up the stairs with an anxious Gwen close on his heels.

Morgana quickly spread an extra blanket over her bed and Merlin laid the boy down. He peeled the jacket off as gently as possible, and Gwen gave a sharp intake of breath when the bloody mess that was the boy's shoulder was revealed.

"Where did you find him?" Morgana asked.

"He was hiding in a corner by the apartments," Merlin answered, touching a hand gently to the boy's neck to feel his pulse. He felt cold to the touch, but his heartbeat seemed to be steadying again. At a guess, Merlin thought he'd probably fainted from trauma and exhaustion. He'd probably been out in the cold far longer than was safe especially for a victim of gunshot.

"He must be the boy who the Patroni have been looking for all night," Morgana said slowly.

"What?" Merlin looked up, interest piqued.

"A Druid was shot near the guest apartments last night around three in the morning," Morgana explained. _Druid…? _Merlin frowned. He'd heard the word—or was it name—before, though he couldn't recall when or where. "The Patroni reported that there was a boy with him. They haven't been able to find him," Morgana continued as Merlin began gently peeling back the boy's shirt to inspect the boy's wound more closely. The teenager had seen bullet wounds before when he and Will had decided to visit his mother at work. Some of the suburbs around his home town of Armagh were less than ideal locations, and the emergency room where Hunith worked saw the victims from worst incidents. Hunith had been furious when she'd discovered the boys, and Will's mother had arrived in minutes to take them home, but not before they'd seen the casualties of a local fire-fight brought in through triage. From what limited knowledge Merlin had picked up between Hunith and Gaius, he knew that the bullet in the boy's shoulder needed to be removed as soon as possible to prevent infection. He probed the wound as gently as he could, but the boy stirred and whimpered softly at the touch nonetheless. From the corner of his eye, Merlin saw Morgana flinch. "We need to get him out of here," she said softly. Merlin nodded, feeling his skin prickle as he thought of what would happen to all four of them if the boy was found here in the Pendragon household. He'd really put himself in a tight spot now. How to get the boy back outside Camelot really didn't bear thinking about at the moment. If what Morgana said about the boy was right, security would be increased until he was found.

"We should get the bullet out and wrap up this wound first," Merlin said, standing up. "I'll… see if I can get some medical supplies from Gaius' clinic." Gwen's brows drew together in an anxious frown.

"Shouldn't we have Gaius do that?" she queried, biting her lip.

"No, I… don't want to involve him," Merlin hedged uncomfortably. "Just… stay here and I'll be right back."

It crossed Merlin's mind the moment he turned the doorknob that if the door was unlocked Gaius had to be back. He paused, leaning wearily against the doorframe and listening for Gaius' footsteps. When he heard nothing, he slipped noiselessly into the main room, dropped his backpack by the couch, and turned towards Gaius' surgery. Perhaps he could grab some supplies and slip back out without his uncle notincing…

"Merlin!" The teen stopped in his tracks. "Where have you been?" Gaius demanded, appearing from the kitchen and marching across the room.

"I… er… I was—"

"You were supposed to come straight back. You need to rest," Gaius said.

"I was talking to Gwen!" Merlin said, seizing on the first half-true excuse that crossed his mind. "Just got back," He took a step back, reaching down to retrieve his backpack and head for his room.

_Emrys… _Merlin startled at the unexpected call in his mind. His foot came up against the table by the couch, and he nearly tripped. From the corner of his eye, he saw Gaius' cup toppling off the table and without thinking, he reached out with his magic and stopped it. The teacup, half-spilled contents and all, froze in midair.

"_Merlin!_" Gaius' voice was terse and sharp. Merlin's eyes snapped guiltily to his uncle. "Put it down!" The cup dropped to the ground, and its contents spilled across the rug. Merlin stood very still, conscious of his heart pounding unusually loud in his ears. He hadn't caught something with magic for several weeks. It was a habit Gaius had been carefully breaking him of. Making a mistake like that was tantamount to instant death anywhere outside of Gaius' apartment. The thought of the druid boy's garish wound made him feel sick… One mistake like this, and a similar bullet would be his…

"You're shaking," Gaius observed quietly. Merlin buried his hands in his pockets, pushing the thoughts quickly to the back of his mind.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Sit down, Merlin," Gaius ordered.

"I need to return Gwen's book to her," Merlin improvised quickly, trying to move past Gaius. "I borrowed it last week."

"Gwen can wait," Gaius answered giving his nephew a stern look. Merlin sank wordlessly onto the couch. "Did you eat?"

"Er…"

"Of course not." And with that Gaius vanished into the kitchen, leaving Merlin to stare at the tea-stain at his feet. Merlin let out a shaky breath and set the cup back on the table before pulling out his mobile.

_Sorry. Gaius won't let me leave. I'll bring everything tomorrow after school, _he wrote to Morgana. _Will he be alright? _

_I think so, _she sent back shortly. _He's sleeping quietly now. I'll let you know if he gets any worse. _Merlin sighed and leaned his head back against the couch, and over the sounds of Gaius working in the kitchen, he heard the boy's voice speak in his mind so softly he almost missed it.

_Emrys. Where are you, Emrys?_

* * *

**AN: **Once again, thankyouthankyouthankyou to all you lovely folks who reviewed/favorited/read my story. I always enjoy feedback from you all. Even if you just drop me a one word review that says 'cool', I like to know that you're around. I'm going to continue the story whether people read or not, but it's always encouraging to know that someone is enjoying this! :)

Soooo what I'm trying to say is, thanks for your support! :D

The next chapter is already half written. It's VERY plot heavy, sooo be prepared! And if you spot any plotholes, PLEASE let me know. I tried to make everything tie together prettily so far, but it's good to have your input! You'll probably see things I missed.

Cheers!

~Sandyy


	15. Truth and Legend

**AN:** Thanks again to the awesome folks who recently favorited Legacies. You guys make my day. :)

As I said, much of this chapter was already written. It's got a lot of major plot background in it. However, it was edited in a bit of a hurry as I'm leaving for Mexico tomorrow and will be (horror of horrors) without wifi-or even a computer-almost until the end of the month. But I thought you guys deserved a chapter before I left, so here it is. Enjoy!

* * *

Negotiations with the Scandinavian representatives—despite the brief uproar over the poisoning and incident with the Druid—came to a reasonably satisfactory end, and the ambassadors' departure left the neighborhood less crowded and considerably less occupied by Patroni. Since the security increase due to the ambassadors' visit, Merlin hadn't dared venture out to the edge of the neighborhood to see the dragon again, and he was more than grateful to take the chance now that he'd encountered the Druid boy. Merlin had been on edge all day. He'd heard the boy's voice briefly in his mind early before school and nearly dropped the dishes he was putting away. Gaius, thankfully, was already busy with appointments for the day or he'd probably have forced Merlin to spend another day at home 'recovering'.

The Druid boy's ability to speak in Merlin's mind and the peculiar name he persisted in calling his rescuer had driven Merlin to seek out the dragon as the only other telepath he'd met. He managed to leave school early, claiming to feel dizzy. No doubt there would be a price to pay for that lie when Gaius found out, but for the moment Merlin desperately needed some answers. The Emrys person whom the boy had him confused with concerned him the most. Whoever the person was, he almost certainly had magic if the boy was trying to contact him via telepathy.

The jangling of the dragon's chains reached Merlin's ears long before he got to the cavern. He held out a hand and brought a little blue orb flaring to life in his palm. The dragon was curled up like a cat on the ledge, his massive tail reaching to the edge of the entrance. The dragon blinked lazily at his light as it drifted ahead of him to light up the space.

"Who is Emrys?" Merlin asked without preamble, stepping around the dragon's tail as it opened one great golden eye to look at him.

"I take it you've been talking to the Druid boy," the dragon said, lifting his head and arching his long neck to peer down at the boy. There was an edge of displeasure to his voice that puzzled Merlin.

"How do you know about him?" the teen backtracked, half curious and half wary.

"The same reason as you, young warlock. I hear his voice," the dragon replied, flicking his tail. Merlin scowled.

"I want some answers," he said pointedly. The dragon blinked coolly back with his customary air of infuriating superiority. He seemed entirely unperturbed by the teen's tone. "Who is Emrys, and why does this Druid boy think I'm him?" Merlin demanded.

"You will not like my answer," the dragon replied evasively.

"Could you let me decide that for myself?" Merlin asked, annoyed. The dragon shifted, setting his chains rattling loudly again.

"You are Emrys."

"Er, I'm pretty sure my name's Merlin. Always has been," Merlin said dryly.

"You have many names, young warlock. Emrys is the name given you in the ancient prophecies," the dragon responded. "You and the young Druid both are spoken of in them."

"Oh, right. Again with the prophecy-destiny talk," Merlin growled. "Do you really believe all that?" The first time he'd met the dragon, he'd been curious enough to listen. Now he was merely skeptical.

"I told you that you wouldn't like my answer," the dragon pointed out.

"Look," Merlin bristled. "I don't know who you think you are, but I am not any part of your prophecy. You talk as if I'm some mythical creature out of a legend. Nobody believes in that anymore. Seers and destinies are the stuff of fantasy books."

"Like magic?" the dragon suggested mildly. Merlin straightened up, chagrined.

"What? No, that's different!"

"Is it?" The dragon tilted his head, regarding the teen with narrowed golden eyes. "Young warlock, your mother's generation discovered a whole world that no one would have believed to exist before them. To her and to Uther as a child, magic belonged to the fantasy books as well. There are forces at this work that you cannot see; you should know that better than anyone. Do you understand how your magic works?" Merlin didn't grace the comment with a response. Of course he didn't; no one had taught him anything about it except how to control it in public. "Perhaps you should open your mind to the possibility that you do not know everything yet," the dragon said, breathing a warm puff of air over Merlin. The teen blinked and gritted his teeth, trying to tamp down his growing impatience with the cryptic dragon. Nonetheless, the dragon's words made doubt prick at the back of his mind, though. If magic users had remained hidden as long as they had, it was possible that there were still truths about the world that they or others had not revealed. It made his skin prickle with a mixture of excitement and unease. He brushed the thought aside.

"I only came back here because you knew I had magic," he said, his voice even again. "I'm not interested in the stories about ancient religions, superstition, and your prophecy. I just need to hear what you know about the Druids and magic." The dragon bared his teeth and a growl rumbled low in his throat. The scales on his hunched shoulders rippled as he sat up, and his relaxed demeanor changed to one of keen attention. He leaned down closer to Merlin, and the teen forced himself to stand his ground when the dragon's warm breath ruffled his hair again.

"It is not _my_ prophecy, young one," the dragon said. "It has lived for many more years than even I. You should not brush it off so lightly, nor should you disregard the power of the Old religion." His great tail swished across the cold, dry stone. "I will share my knowledge with you, but in return you must promise to listen." He tilted his head, fixing Merlin with a sharp look. "And to listen with an open mind. I will not waste my breath if you choose to doubt my every word." Merlin hesitated then gave the dragon a firm nod in response. It couldn't really hurt to listen. He wasn't going to buy this prophecy lark, whatever the dragon might say. Contended, the dragon settled back and watched as Merlin took a seat on the ground, letting his light drift up to hover a couple of feet above his head to illuminate the creature's sharp featured golden-brown face. "Uther's country teaches very little about magical history, I imagine," the dragon said.

"They… teach us about the uprising," Merlin returned. "There's not much else to tell. Nobody knows anything about sorcerers before then. Gaius told me that they lived in secret before The Pure came to power." The dragon huffed, and his claws scraped loudly against the stone.

"With good reason," he growled. "I have lived more years than you can imagine and seen many great civilizations rise and fall. In the few eras when magic was discovered, men slaughtered the sorcerers, driven by fear and envy of their power. Since those days, sorcerers learned to keep their skills hidden and live in unknown in peace alongside the common people. The Law of Silence—a binding contract for all magic users—was established for all sorcerers to protect them. Those who violated it were quarantined and their powers restricted by force."

Merlin waited with bated breath as the dragon paused, afraid to interrupt the creature's train of thought. He'd come to ask about the Druids, but no one talked about the magical community as it was before The Purge—not even Gaius whom Merlin suspected knew much more about magic than he let on. Anyone who knew about the history of magic was either deep in hiding, killed, or locked away by Uther and the Patronus forces. If the dragon was willing to fill him in on some of that history, he wasn't going to protest. After a moment, the dragon resumed in a softer voice:

"My kin and I were honored among the magical people," he said. "Our magic is more powerful than any human's. We were their most carefully guarded secret. Each dragon was bound to a sorcerer by powerful magic. It was the duty of that sorcerer to keep his companion hidden. In return, we used our gifts of magic to protect them. These men—the dragon lords, were murdered in The Purge as were the dragons. I am now the last of my kind." His voice rang with bitter anger. He shifted one foreleg, and his chains clanked harshly. "You see for yourself how far I have now fallen. Uther Pendragon took me captive as a symbol of his power." The dragon's voice dropped to a feral snarl. "He keeps me here, chained and fed like a common _pet_." He huffed angrily, and a lick of flame danced briefly in the air over Merlin's head.

"As for the magical community, they waited for countless generations, watching for the birth of the two prophesied humans who, it was said, would bring peace between magic users and the common people. Not everyone was content to wait, however. The prophecy was first uttered in ancient times. It is as old as this country itself. Many in the community had lost hope and decided to take the fate of their people into their own hands. The thirty sorcerers who formed the Pure were only one of many uprisings among them. Until the day The Pure arose, however, the magical community succeeded in crushing these rebellions before they came to light in the common world. The Pure…" The dragon sighed softly. "They were too powerful and became the first in hundreds of years to be successful. Their rebellion fully revealed the magical community to the world, and in the worst possible way."

Merlin shifted, drawing his knees up to his chest against the chill in the cavern. His light pulsed softly as he considered the dragon's words. From here he knew most of the history, biased though it might be from his books. Once The Pure came into the public eye, sorcerers across the world knew that their secret was irrevocably exposed. Most magical communities remained hidden it seemed, as no other groups had risen up in other countries. Nonetheless, laws of varying strictness had been set down in each country regarding the treatment of magic and its users. The laws were almost universally restrictive and harsh. There was too much fear of the great power that magic users wielded—and perhaps rightly so considering the actions of The Pure. Merlin himself had long since learned to fear his own powers, especially of late when they had become more difficult to control. "The reign of the Pure was ruthless, and they were quickly contested by other magical communities," the dragon continued. "There was a short lived civil war among sorcerers in which the Pure were victorious, but their strength was severely damaged by the fight. Your current leader, Uther Pendragon, took advantage of the weakness in England's magical community and crushed them one swift movement. You know the rest of the story, do you not?" Merlin nodded. It all seemed to fit well into what he already knew of sorcery and its revelation in the years before his birth. As much as he'd drawn from the dragon's explanation though, it raised as many new questions for him as it gave answers. He settled on the most pressing question for the moment.

"Who are the Druids then?"

"The Druids were the leading force in the uprising against The Pure," the dragon answered. "They believed that the common people had as much right to the land as those with magic." The dragon's eyes narrowed. "Had Uther recognized this and made an ally of them, many lives would have been spared, but he like many others becomes blind where magic is concerned." The dragon's tail flicked, and Merlin shuffled back when it came close to his feet. "Those remaining of the Druids after the Purge went back underground. They are a highly secretive people and difficult to find—now more than ever before. "

"What do the druids have to do the prophecy… or with this Emrys person?" Merlin asked.

"The Druids—most of them at least—are those remaining of the magical community who still believe in the prophecy." The dragon blinked at Merlin. "And as the druid boy said, you are Emrys. You are the one they have been waiting for."

"Great, fine. I'm Emrys." Merlin's former annoyance flared up again. "What does that mean?"

"Patience, young one," the dragon rumbled. _Easy for you to say, _Merlin thought irritably. _You've nothing better to do than sit and talk to me._ But he bit his lip and fell silent nonetheless. "The ancient prophecies speak most importantly of two humans: one common—a great leader among men—and the other the greatest warlock ever to walk the earth. The two shall be bound closer than kin." The dragon tilted his head down towards Merlin. "You and the young Pendragon are the fulfillment of that prophecy. Together you are destined to build a country where the magic and common people live in peace. Your work will lead the way for the entire world." Merlin could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He was torn between fascination and repulsion at the prospect. It was intriguing of course. Ever since he was old enough to understand why he had to hide his powers, he'd dreamed of a world where he could use them freely, where he would be admired for them, not feared, and where everyone would, like Will, accept him. But that was all it was: a dream. How magic could ever live free in a world so steeped in fear of it? And the idea of being bound to Arthur—of having his life and fate tied inextricably to the cocky son of Uther Pendragon… Merlin didn't even want to imagine it. Of all people, Arthur was the least likely to accept Merlin for who he truly was. The boy had been raised by magic's greatest persecutor. It was one thing to save the prat's life. It was quite another to spend a lifetime working to protect and help him when he knew that Arthur would never support—let alone share—such a dream. Merlin shook his head.

"That's not possible. You're mad. This is all mad. It's just a folk tale. I'm _certainly _not going to be a powerful warlock. I'm not even allowed to use my magic," he added, thinking of Gaius' tone the day before when he'd accidently caught a falling teacup with magic.

"I felt your presence from the moment you entered Camelot, Merlin," the dragon replied. "The Druids have recognized you as well. I have never met a human with magic as powerful as yours. You have been using magic since you were born, have you not?"

"Don't all sorcerers?"

"No." The dragon's reply was sharp. "You are no mere sorcerer. You are a warlock."

"What's the difference?" Merlin shrugged.

"A sorcerer's skill is learned and honed with time. Warlocks are naturally gifted," the dragon explained. "Most warlocks discover their talent once they near maturity. To be _born _with magic, however, is unheard of. You are unprecedented. There is no mistake. You are Emrys. The prophecies are true." _Me… I'm some sort of Druidic savior prophesied from the beginning of time. _Merlin's brow creased as he turned the idea over in his head. Nope… It still didn't square.

"This is ridiculous," he declared, getting determinedly to his feet. The orb drifted down to hover above his palm again.

"Indeed," the dragon agreed, narrowing his eyes. "I never imagined that Emrys would be so narrow minded." Merlin's light flared brighter and he clenched his teeth.

"You haven't seen what it's like up there," he snapped. "Anyone who so much as _breathes _the word 'magic' is dragged in for questioning. Some people disappear without warning. Others are shot in the street without a word. I'm not being _narrow minded. _I'm protecting myself. As for Arthur…. He'd turn me in as soon as look at me if he found out what I am. No. You've got this wrong. I'm not powerful. I'm nothing. I'm _worse_ than nothing. It's all I can do to stay alive, let alone try to change people's minds about magic. If you're waiting for your great Emrys to come along and bring peace to the country, you'll have to keep looking, because I'm _not_ him." Merlin turned sharply on his heel and sent the orb hovering a couple feet in front of him.

"Be careful of the Druid boy, young one." The dragon said as he stalked towards the exit. Merlin paused, and his light flickered slightly, echoing his hesitation. The dragon had said that this Druid boy was in his prophecies as well… He hesitated. Half of him wanted to ask just how the boy was mentioned in these Druid prophecies. The rational part of him scoffed at that idea. It didn't matter anyways. The dragon was clearly confusing dreams with reality. Merlin wasn't even sure why he'd come any longer. He channeled a pulse of energy into the blue orb drifting ahead of him and strode away into the dark tunnel.

* * *

"Merlin, where have you been?" Morgana demanded breathlessly, shutting the front door quickly behind him. "I called you at least five times." Merlin bit his lip. His mobile never got bars down in the tunnels.

"Had to run an errand," he said evasively as he followed her up the stairs to her room. "I brought some things from Gaius' clinic, though. I can take a look at that wound again." Morgana stopped before her room door turned to face him. Merlin felt a stab of guilt on catching a good look at his friend. Her hair was tugged back in a hurried ponytail, her clothes were rumpled and untidy, and dark circles were already showing beneath her eyes. She couldn't have slept any more than he had the night before. The injured boy was no doubt still lying in her bed, leaving her on the floor, and she couldn't have let herself doze off too long. If anyone should wander into her room at any time, they both knew all too well what might happen to both Morgana and the boy.

"It's no good," Morgana said in a tight voice. "Merlin, he's burning up. We have to take him to Gaius."

"We can't," Merlin said instantly.

"Neither of us know how to help him." Morgana's eyes were lit with an almost manic expression of desperation. "If we don't take him to Gaius soon, he'll die." The conviction in her words made Merlin falter. He bit his lip.

"It can't be all that bad. Just… let me look at it first."

"Merlin," Morgana's voice was low and she sounded unnervingly close to breaking. "He's really sick. I think the wound is infected. He needs a doctor." Merlin took a deep breath. "Please, Merlin." Morgana's voice was trembling.

"Er… have I missed something?" a third voice chipped in. The color rose to Merlin's face and he stared wide-eyed at Morgana. Arthur had appeared at the end of the hallway. "Morgana, I thought you were sick," the teen commented, frowning at her. He looked equal parts confused and concerned. Morgana drew herself up and brushed a stray strand of dark hair out of her face.

"I was just—"

"Merlin was—" Both Merlin and Morgana stopped and exchanged a guarded look.

"I… was looking for Gwen." Merlin said. "I thought she would be here." He buried his hands in his pockets and tried not to look as uncomfortable when his statement was followed by what seemed an eternity of silence.

"_Were_ you?" Arthur said at last, raising his eyebrows. The tone of his voice screamed skepticism. At the unspoken question in Arthur's face, Merlin's face flushed still redder.

"Yeah… but she's not here, so.. I'm just going to go find her."

"Merlin," Morgana's voice was steady again. He stopped to look nervously between her and Arthur. "You should go see Gaius," she said, a clear edge to her voice. Merlin swallowed, feeling trapped between her expectant look and Arthur's curious gaze.

"I'll talk to him. Don't worry." he promised, avoiding Arthur's eyes. "Sorry for bothering you, Morgana. Hope you feel better." He backed away a couple of steps before tuning and hurrying down the stairs, painfully aware of Arthur's gaze following him until he was out of sight.

* * *

**AN (#2): **There's the plot dump, folks. If you've got time, please give me some feedback on it. This backstory has been in my head for a long time, and now it's finally out for you all to see. I'll be building onto it in the future. Drop me a line! :)

I'll be back with another chapter hopefully in early August.

Cheers!

~Sandyy


	16. To Risk a Life

_Got Arthur to go away,_ Morgana messaged as Merlin reached the top of the stairs to his apartment. _The boy is running 39 now.* I can't bring his fever down. _

Merlin sighed and paused before the door.

_I'll text you back when I've talked to Gaius, _he wrote back resignedly. He sent the message, muted his phone, and quietly entered the apartment feeling as though he was going to his execution.

Every sound from the click of the door to the soft squeak of his sneakers on the floor seemed obnoxiously loud inside. Gaius, peacefully engrossed in a hard-back novel, paid no attention when his nephew edged into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. Merlin stood silent at the counter, darting furtive glances at his uncle as if he might catch the man's attention by his mere presence, but didn't even glance up from his book. Merlin uneasily cleared his throat, and when Gaius still didn't stir he ventured to speak.

"Gaius?"

"Hmm,' Gaius hummed in acknowledgement, turning a page. Merlin hesitated.

"Is… is there any known magic used for healing?" he asked.

"Certainly," Gaius replied, still without looking up. "Many people saw sorcerers use healing spells during the war."

"They used it to extract bullets then?" Merlin perked up in hopeful curiosity.

"I imagine so. I didn't see the specifics." Gaius set his book down and peered at his nephew over the rim of his glasses. "Perhaps _you_ should be looking into a cure for dizziness instead." Merlin dropped his gaze hurriedly. Of course Gaius had heard about that. He opened his mouth to deliver a half formed excuse, but Gaius didn't wait for him to speak. "Merlin, we both know it doesn't take two hours to walk back from school," the physician said, pinning Merlin in place with a sharp, concerned look. "You've been acting strange ever since yesterday. Do I need to take you back to the hospital, or are you going to tell me what's going on?" Merlin wrapped his hands around his glass of water and stared down at it.

"I'm feeling fine, Gaius, I promise," he said.

"Merlin," Gaius warned quietly.

"Honestly, I am," Merlin insisted. He turned the cup about on the counter, biting his lip nervously. "I've been next door talking to Morgana." Gaius was silent, no doubt waiting for the other shoe to drop. Merlin swallowed and lifted his head with as much confidence as he could muster. "Morgana's hiding the Druid boy. He was shot in the shoulder, and he's badly hurt," he blurted at last, avoiding his uncle's eyes. The silence that followed made Merlin want to sink through the floor. Gaius was looking at him with clear disbelief in his face, and the teen wanted to beg him to say something—anything just to break the tension in the room. When Gaius finally spoke, his voice was very quiet.

"And you got involved. Merlin, how could you be so _stupid_? You of _all _people should be keeping your head down, unless you want to lose it!"

"I heard his voice in my head, Gaius!" Merlin's voice rose desperately. "I couldn't just ignore him! He's not even ten years old. He's sick, he's scared, and if anyone finds him, he'll be killed."

"And if anyone finds _you _with him, you will be too," Gaius snapped. "I cannot allow you to take that risk." Merlin flinched and dropped his gaze back to the glass of water, unable to look his uncle in the eyes.

"You take that risk every day," he said quietly.

"Merlin!" Gaius' voice rose in shock. "You are completely different."  
"No I'm not," Merlin retorted. "If things had been different—if someone had seen me, or even just guessed… I could have been in his place." He paused, swallowing over the lump forming in his throat. "You took me in when I needed help, and you knew the risk you were taking. So did Morgana and I. We're not asking you to hide him. He just needs medical care. Please, Gaius." Gaius closed his eyes, and Merlin watched, frozen, as the physician drew a deep, steadying breath.

"If it were only my safety at risk, I would willingly help the boy. You and Morgana took a foolish risk in hiding him." Merlin's hands tightened unconsciously around the cool glass.

"We're protecting an innocent life. Why is that wrong? Because he has magic?" His voice was laced with bitterness.

"Of course not," Gaius said softly. "I never said what you were doing was wrong. It is, however, my place to protect you, and you are putting your life at risk." Merlin blinked.

"I saved Arthur's life. Uther wouldn't have me killed," he asserted.

"Do not presume on Uther's mercy," Gaius' voice grew suddenly sharp again. "Where magic is concerned, Uther is never forgiving. I would not even count on Morgana's safety if she is found sheltering that boy." Gaius got to his feet. "We must get the boy out of Uther's house first. Bring him here to the surgery. I will take care of him, and we will get him out of the city as soon as he is well," he said brusquely. "Go quickly. The patrols shouldn't be by for another fifteen minutes." Merlin's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Gaius," he breathed. Gaius' eyes narrowed.

"Don't thank me yet," he said. "And Merlin," He added as the teen turned to hurry down the stairs again. "Don't _ever _pull anything like this on me again."

* * *

"What did Gaius say?" Gwen asked in a half-whisper, ushering Merlin in the door and up the stairs towards Morgana's room.

"We're to bring him over to the surgery," Merlin said. "Is Uther still out?" Gwen nodded.

"He won't be back till this afternoon. But keep your voice down. Arthur is still hanging about."

"Yeah, keep your voice down, Merlin. He might hear you." Gwen took a step back with a soft squeak of surprise and bumped into Merlin. Arthur had appeared silently from around the corner. The expression on his face was unreadable, but his posture and the arms folded across his chest spoke louder than words. "Looks like you found Gwen. Having a girls' night, are you?" he asked mildly. Any other time, Merlin would have bridled at the insult. At the moment his mind was too occupied grasping for explanations to make Arthur go away.

"Yes—I mean, no—that is… I was… Well, you see, Gwen borrowed my text book, and—"

"He needed it back," Gwen interrupted quickly. "But I gave it to Morgana, so—"

"The three of you don't have a class together," Arthur pointed out. Merlin blinked at him and opened his mouth to say something, but every excuse he could think of fell flat in the face of Arthur's entirely unimpressed expression. Arthur's eyebrows rose. "You get points for trying, Merlin, but you're a terrible liar. Now," he buried his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the wall, looking at the two partners-in-crime. "Would either of you care to explain what the hell is going on with Morgana and why I'm apparently not supposed to know about it?"

"Arthur, she's fine. Really, it's nothing. We were just visiting her," Gwen said a bit too hurriedly.

"She's in some kind of trouble, isn't she?" Arthur concluded, taking his hands out of his pockets and striding forward to take the door handle. Merlin lunged to catch at the handle before Arthur, and both boys stopped, looking at each other. Arthur's eyes held a silent challenge for an increasingly desperate Merlin.

"I don't think she wants visitors," Merlin said lamely.

"Really? Do you think that's why she yelled at me earlier?" Arthur growled. "Get _out_ of the way, Merlin. If you won't tell me, I'll ask her myself."

"Arthur—" Gwen tried to move between them, but Arthur didn't wait for her to get any closer. He deftly wrested Merlin's hand from the handle and shouldered him out of the way.

"Arthur, please—" Gwen seized his sleeve, but the teen had already torn the door open. He wrenched himself free of Gwen's grip and barged past her into the room calling out,

"Morgana!" Morgana sprang to her feet, the color draining swiftly from her face at the sight of Arthur. Merlin shoved his way into the room after Arthur, trying to block the other teen's view of the bed, but he could see that he was already too late. There was open fear in Morgana's wide eyes, but Arthur wasn't looking at her. He was staring in undisguised shock at the pale, still figure on Morgana's bed. There was a moment of stunned silence. Arthur's expression cleared after a couple of tense seconds, and surprisingly he was the first to recover his composure.

"Morgana... dad's going to kill you," he said in a barely audible voice. Clearly, he'd had no trouble understanding the situation. Everyone in the neighborhood knew about the search for the boy. Uther had even called in a special unit for searching out sorcerers. Arthur took a step back, and Merlin pushed the door shut with one hand, placing himself in front of it. Arthur spared him a glance, though he was entirely unconcerned. Both boys knew that Arthur was easily the stronger of them. If he chose to take the matter to Uther, there was very little that Merlin would be able to do to stop him. The light in Morgana's eyes rekindled at Arthur's words, and she drew herself up, clenching her fists.

"Arthur, I swear to god if you tell your father, I will never forgive you."

"He's a druid!" Arthur almost shouted, pointing at the boy. "You're committing treasn! And you've dragged _them _into it too!" He gestured at Merlin and Gwen still standing by the door. "How could you even _think _of protecting him?"

"Look at him, Arthur," Morgana took an angry step towards her adoptive brother. "Look at him. He's a _child_. He hasn't hurt anyone! Do you want to see him shot like an animal?" Arthur faltered, brows drawing together and blue eyes darting from the boy to Morgana. His hesitation spoke volumes to Merlin. The dark haired teen didn't wait for further reassurance. He brushed past Arthur to crouch beside the bed.

"Morgana, we need to go now," he said. "The patrols will be by soon." He slid his arms under the boy's back and legs.

"Where are you taking him?" Arthur demanded. The warlock hesitated. He glanced at Morgana, and after a second, she nodded.  
"To Gaius. He's hurt," Merlin said.

"_Gaius _is part of this?" the blond teen said. His mouth set in a thin line, and the crease between his eyebrows deepened. "I can't believe… Morgana this is insane. You're going to get them all killed!" Morgana whirled on him, eyes ablaze once more.

"If you're not going to help, Arthur, you can shut up and bugger off," she snapped. For a moment, Arthur looked like he was going to turn on his heel and storm out of the room, but before he could speak again, the sound of the front door on the main floor made them all fall dead silent. Merlin gathered the boy up against his chest, hardly daring to breathe. Gwen backed up against the door and darted a frantic look at Morgana.

"Morgana," Arthur said in a low voice. "Go distract him." Morgana's eyes widened.

"Why me?" she protested.

"You're supposed to be sick!" Arthur gestured impatiently with one hand. "Tell him you've got a headache... Ask him for an Aspirin or something."  
"I'm not going to ask _Uther _for an Aspirin!" Morgana sounded horrified.

"Do you _want _him to find the boy?" Arthur snapped.

"I've... already got my own!" she protested weakly.

"Tell him you've run out!" Arthur returned in an increasingly strained whisper. "I'll get him to Gaius, I promise, alright? You have to go now!" Morgana hesitated. Her eyes strayed to the boy. "Morgana!" Arthur hissed.

"Morgana, we really need to go _now_," Merlin urged, staggering to his feet with the boy in his arms. Morgana glanced from him to Arthur, then whispered,  
"Thank you, Arthur," and turned briskly to slip past Gwen into the hall. Gwen wordlessly followed her out, leaving Arthur and Merlin standing in Morgana's room. Merlin closed his eyes briefly, uncertain whether the unsteadiness he was feeling came from the adrenaline of the moment or the remnants of his dizziness from the poison. He curled his fingers tight around the boy. He didn't have to carry him far. Arthur was eyeing him warily when he opened his eyes again, and Merlin stared irritably back at him. He still wasn't dead sure they could trust Uther's son, but it didn't look like they had much choice. Gwen peered around the doorway and beckoned to them.

"Come on. Hurry!" she urged, and the three moved out of the room, stepping as quietly as possible. Merlin made it down the stairs and out the front door before he stopped, blinking furiously. _No, no, no… _He stopped, gripping his charge tightly, and let his shoulder touch the house, grounding himself.

"Merlin," Arthur's voice sounded annoyingly close to his ear. Merlin's eyes snapped open.

"We need to go," Gwen said urgently, closing the door behind them.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it," Merlin said, pulling himself together and straightening up.

"I'll take him," Arthur said. He didn't wait for a response, but scooped the boy out of Merlin's arms, adding: "You look like you're about to collapse, you idiot." Merlin gritted his teeth.

"I'm fine," he muttered, embarrassed.

"No you're not," Arthur said smoothly. He hefted the boy comfortably into his own arms before setting off at a quick pace for Gaius' apartment.

"I could've managed," Merlin bit out, trying desperately to ignore Gwen's concerned expression. Neither Arthur nor Gwen responded, but the girl edged a bit closer to Merlin as he followed after Arthur, blinking away the dizziness. "Arthur…" Merlin tried to catch up with him, belatedly realizing that Gaius didn't expect to see Uther Pendragon's son as part of the deception. "Arthur, please let me take him. You should go back. Uther's going to be looking for you."

"And end up carrying both of you? I don't think so," Arthur replied, and without looking back he set off up the stairs for the second floor.

If looks could kill… well… Merlin didn't like to think what would have become of him after Gaius set eyes on Arthur. The message in the pointed glare he received was painfully clear. _You brought _Arthur _into this? _Merlin cringed and shook his head vigorously at his uncle. It wasn't his fault!Arthur, in his usual overbearing manner, had taken control the moment he had waltzed into Morgana's room and discovered the situation.

"Bring him in here," Gaius said, turning away wordlessly and leading Arthur to the guest room. Merlin started when the apartment door opened again, but it was only Morgana. She hurried down the hall to crowd into the doorway where Merlin and Gwen were already standing.

"Uther told me to ask Gaius for Aspirin," she explained breathlessly. "Did anyone see you?" Merlin shook his head.

"It's alright. Gaius will take care of him now. You should go get some rest," he told her. Morgana ignored his suggestion and leaned around the doorframe, searching anxiously for a glimpse of the boy. Arthur was shuffling back to make room for Gaius at the bedside where he'd set the boy down.

"Is… there anything else I can do, Gaius?" he asked. Gaius looked up, his face set in a frown of clear disapproval, and his gaze focused on Arthur's shirt. Arthur followed his glance and looked down in surprise at the rust colored stain on his shoulder.

"You can take that off and get a spare shirt from Merlin. I'll wash it here. Now all of you go," Gaius said sharply. "I don't want any of you coming back. You're to stay out of this. Understood?" The four teens nodded silently and at an impatient wave of the physician's hand they beat a hurried retread to Merlin's room.

In true form, Arthur casually shrugged his bloodstained shirt off and tossed it on the nearest chair in Merlin's room, regardless of the two girls standing just inside the doorway. Merlin was sorely tempted to lob something hard at his annoyingly smug face. He settled for grabbing the first t-shirt he could find and throwing it at the arrogant prat.

"I'm not sure it'll fit," he warned bitingly. "It's not meant for people your size." Arthur caught the shift deftly and gave it an appraising look.

"Obviously not," he said. "I didn't know they made things in size 'stick'." Gwen giggled, and Arthur grinned at her as he pulled the shirt over his head. Merlin and Morgana exchanged an exasperated glance. The warlock was seriously beginning to consider tripping Arthur on his way out of the room—or at least tying his shoelaces together again—when Gaius' voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Merlin!"

"You should go," Merlin said in a low voice, heading for the door of the guest room. Arthur and Gwen didn't need telling twice and headed for the door, but as Merlin passed Morgana, she reached out to catch at his sleeve.

"Merlin," she said softly. "Did… he ever talk to you?" Merlin froze, and for a moment locked eyes with the girl's. There was something frightened, almost pleading in her expression. He'd never heard the boy speak aloud... and she seemed so unsettled. A blend of excitement and nervousness stirred in the pit of his stomach. Was it possible that she'd heard it too?

"He… talked to me… a bit," Merlin said slowly, searching her face for some further sign. He could hear his uncle's voice in the back of his mind, warning him. He swallowed. There was no way he could take the risk of telling her he could hear the Druid's mind-speech. If he was wrong... "But just... to tell me the Patroni were after him," he said at last, pulling away from her and taking a step towards the guest room.

"You didn't… tell him my name, did you?" Morgana pressed.

"No. I don't think I even told him mine," Merlin admitted. "Why?" Morgana blinked at him.

"I thought…" She trailed off then shook her head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. Thank you for helping him."

"Of course," Merlin said slowly. Morgana drew back from the doorway and smiled fleetingly at him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, and with that she turned and followed quickly after Gwen and Arthur. Merlin stood alone in the quiet hallway for a moment, running over her words in his mind, his heart pounding. He edged as quietly as he could into the guest room while Gaius deftly wrapped the wound he'd treated.

"Gaius..." He bit his lip. "Did you hear the boy speak... in your mind?"

"No," Gaius answered without looking up from his work. "I was never particularly skilled at telepathy. It's an ability very few magic users are gifted in." _Magic users..._ Merlin sighed and leaned back against the wall. Wishful thinking... that was all it was. The boy had probably murmured something in his sleep. One thing was for certain: Morgana Cornwall would no more use magic than Uther himself.

* * *

**AN:**

_Footnotes_

* 39 degrees Celsius is approximately 103 degrees Farenheit. I did my research and found that the younger generation of Brits usually measure human temp in Celsius. My story is set about 70 years in the future, so by this point they've switched completely over.

Well, I got back safe from Mexico (had an awesome trip too) and now after two weeks at home I'm off to the East Coast to see my little brother! I'll hopefully have time to write while I'm traveling, but we'll see! I will get Chapter 17 up before school starts again, though.

Thanks for reading, thanks so, SO much for your faves, follows, and reviews, and as always, I hope to hear from you! :)

Cheers!  
~Sandyy


	17. The Hunter and the Hunted

"Ow-hey!" Merlin's voice protested behind Arthur. The blond looked over his shoulder in time to see Merlin trip and nearly run into him. Arthur rolled his eyes at the grinning classmate behind Merlin.

"Knock it off, Gareth," he said, edging sideways to make room beside him for the lanky teen as they made their way into the packed gym. "Merlin trips enough all on his own." Merlin shot him a grateful look, surprisingly letting the jibe slide.

"What's going on?" he asked, moving quickly away from his burly classmate to walk beside Arthur.

"Same thing that happens every semester," Arthur replied with a scowl. He was accustomed to the irregular interruptions of class to reiterate popular anti-magic propaganda. It didn't mean he enjoyed them, though. He suppressed a twinge of irritation when Leon's hand closed tightly over his arm, and the young guard scanned the students about him attentively as he took a seat on a gym bench. _As if any of them could possibly be dangerous_, Arthur thought sarcastically with a sidelong glance at Merlin. His classmate was staring with round blue eyes at the uniformed officers speaking together at the end of the room. He'd been lucky that Uther hadn't noticed his absence two days earlier when he'd left the house unaccompanied to help Merlin carry the Druid boy to Gaius' apartment. Leaving the house without Leon was not strictly allowed. Leon had hardly taken his eye off of the young Pendragon since he'd rescued Arthur from the Thames. While Arthur was used to security hikes and even having a personal bodyguard, he'd never had to be followed at school before. It was beginning to grate on his nerves. He couldn't do anything without Leon posted at the door near him—not even leave class to use the bathroom.

"Right. Very informative. Thanks," Merlin deadpanned, giving Arthur an annoyed look. Gwen, sliding onto Arthur's bench with Morgana close behind, offered the missing explanation.

"We're being gathered for a public safety announcement," she said. "Not sure what it's about this time, though."

"My father has called in a special unit to search for the Druid boy," Arthur said in a dry monotone. Merlin tensed and Arthur shot him a warning look, willing him to keep his mouth shut. If Merlin's aptitude for lying was any indicator, he probably couldn't keep a secret to save his life.

"Are they… going to be searching the neighborhood houses?" Gwen asked anxiously.

"No. They're going to politely knock on everyone's door and ask where the boy is," Arthur said sarcastically. "Of course they're searching the houses. Nobody's going to _admit _to sheltering a dangerous sorcerer." He shot a dark look at Morgana and she scowled back at him defiantly.

"Won't they… interrupt Gaius' clinic hours?" she asked, turning to Merlin. The dark haired teen shook his head.

"Nah. Gaius hasn't got any appointments this afternoon. He's going downtown to get supplies." He winked significantly at Morgana and grinned. Arthur elbowed him hard in the ribs, rolling his eyes. _Yes. _Very _clever, Merlin. _The meaning wasn't lost on Morgana, though, and she smiled back, looking considerably more relaxed.

"Morgana…" Gwen interrupted hoarsely. Arthur, on the receiving end of an offended 'what did I do' look from Merlin, who was protectively shielding his ribs with one hand, glanced over at her. "Look," Gwen whispered in a trembling voice, pointing with her free hand as she reached out to curl her fingers around Morgana's sleeve. The chatter of students in the gym had suddenly dropped to a subdued whisper. Arthur turned to follow the stares of his schoolmates, and his heart sank into his boots. At the end of the gym, a familiar tall, lean Patronus with slicked back gray-white hair stood beside the school principal, scanning the crowd with a steely gaze. There was a hawk-like expression in his sharp-featured face, but nothing at all like the attentive look Leon had when he was searching for security threats. The tall man's slate-gray eyes seemed to pin each subject in place for scrutiny, as if he were inspecting a piece of prey rather than a person.

"Your dad called in the witchfinder?" Gareth gasped, leaning forward to peer over Arthur's shoulder.

"Gwen...?" Merlin's eyes narrowed in concern at the girl beside him. Gwen looked like she'd seen a ghost. Morgana wrapped a comforting arm around her. "The... witchfinder?" Merlin echoed. He turned a questioning look on Arthur when Gwen didn't respond.

"His _name_ is Aredian," Arthur said tensely, watching as said man began pacing the gym. Six years ago, the 'witchfinder' had been a game among the students of Camelot's school when Aredian had first come. Older children used to scare the younger ones, saying that the witchfinder would burn them if they didn't do as they were told. The joke had fallen painfully flat abruptly after Aredian's investigation became part of all of their lives through Gwen's family. "He was called in a few years ago to locate a sorcerer who bewitched one of the Patroni."

"He accused Gwen's father of sorcery," Morgana cut in. The expression in her gray-green eyes was icy enough to rival that of the Patronus himself. "Gwen was _nine_. Mr. Smith was nearly executed."

"Yes, but he wasn't," Arthur pointed out. "The real enchantress was caught, and Smith was released. Aredian is a professional. He knew what he was doing." Morgana raised an eyebrow in silent dissent, and Arthur scowled at her, but the crackle of microphone feedback silenced their discussion.

"Students of Camelot," Aredian's voice came in through the speakers, just as smooth and deceptively friendly as Arthur remembered it. "As you know, there have been recent reports of sorcery in the local community. I am here to assure you that the Patroni are doing everything they can to keep you all safe and apprehend the perpetrators." He paused, and once again his sharp gaze raked the silent audience. "I would like to be able to tell you that you are all safe within this neighborhood. However, we currently have reason to believe that someone among you is harboring a young boy whom several officers saw in association with an adult Druid." He turned sharply on his heel, pacing along the edge of the gym. "The Patroni cannot perform their duty properly without your compliance. I must ask that if you have seen or heard _anything _about the Druid boy you report it immediately to local authorities. Druids are extremely dangerous, and this young Druid could do serious harm to anyone who shelters him."

"How?" A voice suddenly interrupted the officer's speech. Heads turned all over the room. Arthur felt as if someone had punched him in the gut.

"_Morgana!_" he hissed, keenly aware of the attention now turned on them. Merlin and Gwen, upon receiving the stare of the 'witchfinder' both adopted an expression not unlike that of a rabbit cornered by a dog. Arthur's adoptive sister ignored him. Her eyes were fixed challengingly on Aredian. "If he's only a boy as you say, he's probably lost and afraid. He's hardly likely to _hurt _someone who shelters him."

"The_ boy_ possesses magic, young lady." Aredian's voice was ice cold. "He was under the guardianship of a fully trained Druid who killed one of my men."

"How do you know the sorcerer wasn't holding him captive?" Morgana demanded.

"Morgana, _shut_ _up_," Arthur said through his teeth, leaning around a frozen Merlin to give her a furious warning glare.

"An innocent person does not run from the law," the officer replied brusquely, stalking back towards her. "Do you have any further questions?" He stopped unnervingly close to the bench where Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, and Morgana sat and looked up at her. Merlin looked rather alarmingly like he was going to be sick, and Arthur nudged him. "Or was there something you wished to tell me?" Aredian asked. Morgana stared boldly back at him, unfazed.

"No, sir," she answered in the same level, cold voice she used on Uther when he was angry at her. Arthur wanted to kick her, but he didn't dare move.

"Very well." Aredian turned away, resuming his address as coolly as if nothing had disrupted it. Arthur was hardly listening to his words, though. Merlin was ramrod stiff beside him and still looked like a spooked rabbit. Arthur wanted to shake him—to tell him that he was certainly not helping Gaius by looking scared silly, but he didn't dare move either. Gwen had wrapped her fingers around Morgana's wrist and was holding so tight that Arthur was certain it was hurting Morgana. Arthur could feel the tension still crackling in the air around them. Aredian was undoubtedly suspicious. They would have to act and act fast before the man took it into his head to search Gaius' apartment. Arthur had no concerns for himself, and he doubted that Morgana would be harmed either as Uther was her guardian, but for the first time, he was beginning to realize just how great was the danger Merlin, Gwen, and Gaius had all put themselves in by helping the boy.

* * *

"Morgana, what the hell was that?" Arthur snapped, storming into Morgana's room and letting the door bounce loudly off the stopper. "Do you _want _us all to get caught?" Morgana, in true form, didn't even look up.

"Shut up, Arthur," she muttered, her head bent over her mobile.

"No," Arthur snapped, advancing several steps into the room. "Morgana, you _know _how Aredian works. You're supposed to keep your big mouth _shut _around him. Do you even realize how much trouble you could have just caused?"

"Yes, I think I might," Morgana said, turning around to face him.

"Do you? Because I'm pretty sure you—"

"If you'd let me _speak_," Morgana interrupted sharply, "I was going to tell you that Gaius has been called in for questioning." The words took a second to sink in. Arthur blinked at her.

"_What?_" Morgana got up and brushed past Arthur, her mobile still clutched tightly in one hand. "Morgana!" Arthur followed her into the hall. "Morgana, you are _not_ going over there!" He grabbed at her sleeve.

"You can't," Morgana shot back, pulling herself free. "And someone has to."

"Morgana!" Arthur shouted, tagging after her as she darted down the stairs to the main floor where Leon and Roberts—another of the many Patroni who guarded the Pendragon household—were keeping watch over by the door. Arthur stopped at the bottom of the stairs, clenching his teeth angrily. She knew perfectly well he couldn't leave the house without Leon at his heels. "_Morgana!_" he yelled, taking another step into the main room, but she had already tugged her winter jacket on and merely shut the door behind her. Arthur snatched up the nearest thing at hand—a shoe left at the base of the stairs—and hurled it at the door then stalked back up the stairs, leaving an alarmed and puzzled Leon staring after him.

If Gaius had been called in for questioning, then he was under suspicion for one reason or another, and there was no way Arthur would let the physician take the fall for Morgana's idiot decision to help the Druid boy. Both Arthur and Morgana had seen Aredian in action once before. Gaius was being questioned, and before long several Patroni would be along to search his apartment. All evidence of the boy and his presence had to be removed from Gaius' apartment without delay. Above all, the boy needed to be brought safely out of the city before any suspicion could be cast on the physician. Arthur certainly wasn't going to sit by and let Merlin and Morgana take care of the matter by themselves. He flicked his iHome on and set his iPod to shuffle before popping his window screen out and stashing it in his closet out of sight. Hopefully Leon would assume he was occupied with homework as long as the music ran and wouldn't come up to check on him. The sting of the icy outside air bit at the tips of Arthur's ears. He zipped up his jacket and held cautiously on to the windowsill as he stepped out onto a branch. It bowed slightly under his weight but held firm.

Arthur closed his window behind him and edged slowly along it. Directly across from his window was a window to Gaius' apartment which, knowing the layout of the physician's place, could only be Merlin's. Arthur gathered a handful of snow in his gloved hands and hurled it at the glass. He counted off a few seconds, then packed together another snowball, this time throwing it with more force. It made a satisfying thud on hitting with the glass. This time it was only a few seconds before the blinds came up, and Merlin appeared in the window, still wearing his winter jacket and usual blue scarf. He evidently hadn't had a second to take them off since getting back to the apartment. He spotted Arthur in a second, and the anxious crease between his eyes vanished. His expression changed to one of obvious annoyance. He opened both window and screen to lean out and glare at the blond.

"Arthur, what the hell?" he snapped.

"Move over. I'm coming in," Arthur informed him summarily. He put a hand on the branch above him for balance and edged closer to the window. Merlin's eyes darted to the branch, and he suddenly leaned further out.

"Arthur—" _Snap!_ Arthur let out an undignified cry of surprise when his handhold suddenly came free, and he released the broken branch, flinging out a hand frantically for some grip to regain his balance. A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him forward. Arthur caught at the windowsill, Merlin gripped his jacket tightly, and between the two of them, Arthur was hauled through the opening. Merlin dumped him unceremoniously on the floor the moment he was safely inside, stepped back, and ran a hand through his snow-sprinkled black hair.

"You _moron_! What made you think that was a good idea?" Arthur shrugged, not about to show just how shaken he was, especially not when he spotted Morgana in the doorway looking half shocked and half annoyed at the sight of him. Just in front of her stood the young Druid boy, now on his feet for the first time since Arthur had met him, and watching silent and still in a way uncharacteristic of the average child his age.

"Couldn't get over here any other way. Leon wouldn't have let me leave the house alone," Arthur said, getting up and brushing the snow off of his clothes with a curious glance Morgana's little charity case. The boy was bundled in one of Merlin's coats, and he huddled in the too-large item of clothing, his face just visible over the collar, as if he was trying to disappear inside it.

"Oh. You thought you'd just invite yourself over, did you?" Merlin said. His voice rose an octave. "This is brilliant. Just bloody brilliant." Merlin turned in a restless half-circle, now burying both hands in his hair. "Leon's going to come looking for you, and he'll find the boy, and Gaius will be arrested—"

"Merlin, shut up!" Arthur interrupted the teen when his voice began to rise into a panicky falsetto. "I came to help you get the boy out of the neighborhood." Merlin's mouth snapped shut, and he stared at Arthur with wide eyes.

"No. No, no, no. Gaius said—"

"To hell with what Gaius said," Arthur retorted sharply. "If we don't get the boy out _now, _Aredian's men will find him, and Gaius won't be coming home. Now spit it out, Merlin. Where was Gaius supposed to take him?" Arthur's pronouncement seemed to hit Merlin hard. He blinked mutely at Arthur, his face becoming lined with worry, and his hands resumed their anxious habit of pulling at the tassels on his scarf.

"The bridge," he said at last. "The one next to the primary school. He said he was to meet… someone there at four. He's supposed to take the boy somewhere safe." Arthur caught Merlin's momentary hesitation, and his eyes narrowed.

"A sorcerer?" the young Pendragon demanded.

"Maybe." Merlin tensed as well.

"Gaius contacted a _sorcerer_," Arthur confirmed, his voice growing sharp.

"So did you." Merlin lifted his head, his eyes lighting with a challenge. "Brigid Fyr." Arthur stilled. He hadn't heard that name since the day Merlin had returned from the hospital. It seemed ironic that Merlin should be using her name against him. Arthur had, after all, only gone to see the woman in an attempt to save the idiot's life.

"I didn't know she was a sorcerer," Arthur ground out.  
"What was he _supposed _to do, Arthur? Where else can the boy go?" Merlin demanded.

"It doesn't matter," Morgana interrupted, resting her hands protectively on her young companion's shoulders. "Whoever Gaius contacted, I'm sure he just wants the boy safe. I'll take him to the bridge."

"No!" Arthur and Merlin both spoke at once. Morgana opened her mouth indignantly, but Arthur cut her off.

"You shouldn't even have come here, Morgana. Did you see the way Aredian looked at you?"

"If anyone's going to take the boy, it should be me," Merlin interjected, crossing his arms over his chest. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Don't be stupid, Merlin. If you get caught, the Patroni will shoot you without question. I'm the only one they won't dare hurt. _I'm _taking him."

"Arthur—" Morgana had relinquished her hold on the boy to unlock her mobile. "They're coming."

"How—?"

"Gwen's looking out at the street corner," Merlin said in a weak voice. The color had drained from his face again.

"Shit," Arthur muttered. He darted a brief look down the hall at the apartment door then swept the boy from the doorway and steered him over to the window. "Morgana, get out of here. See if you can talk to the guards. Ask them some questions or something." His tone brooked no argument, and thankfully Morgana understood the urgency and didn't argue for once. She vanished down the hall and was out the door in a heartbeat. Arthur scrambled out of the window, this time careful to test both foot and handholds. "Hand him here," Arthur demanded, stepping onto a lower branch. Merlin lifted the boy over the sill.

"I'll come with you," he said.

"And leaving the apartment empty?" Arthur demanded as the boy scrambled down onto a branch beside him. "The Patroni will know something's up if you're not there. Stay inside, take your coat off, and get out your homework. Look normal."

"But—"

"I'm not going to turn him in," Arthur said. "Shut the window!" Merlin opened his mouth. "Now!" Arthur hissed, hearing the footsteps approaching. Merlin backed inside, and the window shut with a click. Arthur dropped to the ground from the lowest branch and helped the boy down, cringing when he saw the boy wince and clutch at his still-healing shoulder. "You alright?" he asked quietly. The boy nodded, tilting his head back slightly to look up at Arthur. Arthur bit his lip, unsettled by the implicit trust in his young face. He adjusted the oversized coat around the boy's shoulders and straightened up. "Good. Let's go."

For once Arthur was grateful that it was an overcast day. It wasn't yet sundown, but there were plenty of shadows to hide in along the street. Arthur stayed behind the houses in order to avoid patrols. His heart was in his throat the entire way knowing all that was at stake. Some of his anger at Morgana had melted away just looking at the boy. The young Druid was still unnervingly quiet, probably knowing as well as Arthur what the consequences of being caught were, and he stayed close to Arthur the entire time, never doubting the older boy's intent for a moment. Arthur, in contrast, couldn't help doubting his own purpose more and more with each step. It was hard to imagine that there was a bone of malice in his small companion's body, but to meet a known sorcerer… and in broad daylight. It hurt just to think of the look of anger and betrayal on his father's face… Nonetheless, he'd taken the task willingly, and he wasn't going to let Morgana down on this. If he was caught, he would pay a heavy price as well, but he certainly couldn't have let Merlin run the risk of being killed. The Druid boy darted an anxious look up at Arthur, and in response, the teen squeezed his uninjured shoulder briefly.

"Almost there," he promised, peering around the corner and squinting against a flurry of snow. His ears stung from the cold and the cutting wind that whipped between the buildings. "Come on." They sprinted across the open space and took cover behind a wide oak trunk. Arthur could see the bridge. "Stay here," he ordered and ducked around the tree to scan the space between him and the bridge. He glanced down at his new mobile and ground his teeth impatiently. Five minutes to four… Where was the contact? His breathing quickened… what if Gaius had been duped and there was no one coming? Or worse still… what if the sorcerer had meant harm to Gaius? He might have just walked straight into a trap! He scrolled hurriedly through his phone contacts, muttering angrily under his breath; "Merlin, if you gave me the wrong time, I swear—" A hand tugging at his jacket turned his attention from the phone, and he looked down at the wide-eyed face of the Druid boy. "What are you doing?" Arthur demanded impatiently. "I told you to—" The boy tugged persistently at his sleeve and pointed. Arthur looked up, and his stomach turned over unpleasantly. Two uniformed men were coming towards them from the direction of the bridge. Arthur seized the boy by one arm and pulled him back towards the tree, but he knew that it was already too late. The stretch of ground was too open. They'd already been spotted. The boy shrank against him, and Arthur put an arm protectively around him, rapidly trying to think of an explanation for their presence that wouldn't raise the officers' suspicion. "It's alright," he said in a low, tense voice. "I won't let them hurt you." _Don't make promises you can't keep, Pendragon, _Brigid's voice echoed in his mind, like a mocking clenched his teeth. He took a step back, drawing the boy with him. He had to keep this promise… if he didn't, he was very soon going to watch the boy die at the end of one of the Patroni's pistols…. They could make a run for the bridge, but the boy's contact wasn't there yet, and if they stood still, they wouldn't draw suspicion for another moment yet. They wouldn't get far anyways… _Crack! _Arthur's thoughts were interrupted. He and the boy both froze, holding their breath, and Arthur gripped borrowed jacket's loose sleeve. The two Patroni turned instantly back in the direction of the sound and seconds later, they had vanished around the side of a building. Arthur relaxed his grip, feeling weak at the knees, and darted a quick look around. That was it. They were going back to Gaius' apartment. Hopefully it'd already been searched. The boy could stay there until Gaius got back and meet his contact another night. Arthur for one was done waiting. He'd had his heart leap into his throat quite enough times for one day.

"Arthur Pendragon?" Arthur started violently, spun around, one hand clamped around the boy's arm, and found himself nearly face-to-face with a stocky, average height man with curly gray hair, perhaps ten or fifteen years older than Uther. The man glanced at the boy at Arthur's side, then fixed a pair of penetrating blue-gray eyes on Arthur. Though the expression in them was calm, the lines of tension in his face spoke of wariness. "I was expecting someone else."

"Gaius couldn't come." Arthur released the boy and took a step back. "I offered to bring the boy in his place. My father doesn't know I'm here." The man's gaze didn't waver. Arthur held still, feeling strangely as if t he was being assessed for something, and each second seemed to stretch into a minute. Whatever standard he was being measured by, evidently he must have passed as the man inclined his head.

"This will not be forgotten, Pendragon," he said quietly, extending an ungloved hand to the boy. "Come, Mordred." The boy—Mordred, Arthur reflected, took the offered hand, but he turned back to look at Arthur with a smile, and in a soft voice spoke for the first time since Arthur had met him.

"Thank you." Arthur had no chance to reply. The gray-haired man drew Mordred close to him, and Arthur saw his eyes shift to a brilliant gold just before the two figures were enveloped in a flurry of snow and wind. When Arthur lowered his hand from his eyes and looked again, they were gone.

* * *

**AN: ****Apologies again for the wait. I just started up school again, so updates will be slow, but I'll do my best. Once again, a huge thank you to my new followers and to the lovely people who reviewed! 30 faves and 63 follows! THANK YOU! ****You're all awesome and make my day! (I really mean that!) Please, if you're not too busy leave a review at the end of this chapter and let me know how I'm doing. Feedback really helps me! :)**

**Thanks again!  
~Sandyy**


	18. The Hand of Fate

"You… can't buy them?" Merlin sat back, wishing he'd left his video camera off. He was beginning to feel that he was losing the battle to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. Tickets out of Camelot are restricted right now," Hunith said. A familiar crease appeared between her eyes, and her voice softened. "Your Viaticus isn't approved for exiting the city. I tried several times." Merlin nodded and bit his tongue. If truth be told, he wasn't entirely surprised. Security had never slackened after the incident with the Druid boy. The boy had left Camelot after Arthur took him away the week before, but Aredian didn't know that, and he was determined that security wouldn't be relaxed until the boy was found. He forced himself to swallow the rising lump in his throat and force back a rising tide of disappointment.

"It's okay. They'll lift the restrictions eventually," he said, managing to sound fairly nonchalant.

"I'll put the money aside," his mother promised. "If it doesn't lift before Christmas, I'll fly you home for a weekend." Another nod. "I am so sorry, Merlin. I know you were looking forward to coming back." Hunith's voice and expression told him with painful clarity that she was as disappointed as he was, and it made Merlin's heart ache. He looked down at his hands as he turned a pen over between his fingers "Will you be alright?" Hunith asked gently. Merlin could only nod once more. The concern in her voice almost broke his barely maintained façade of indifference. He curled his fingers around the pen tightly so the clip on its end dug into his palm.

"Yeah, of course. I've got Gaius here," he said, lifting his chin and giving her a strained smile. She smiled back, though the lines of worry were still there between her eyes.

"What about you?" he asked. "You won't be alone, right?"

"I'll be with the Dempsies," Hunith replied. Merlin relaxed a bit. As long as his mother was there, Brandon—Mrs. Dempsey's boyfriend—probably wouldn't harass Will. "I'll send you a Christmas package," Hunith added.  
"You don't have to," Merlin responded quickly, biting his lip anxiously as he thought of the shipping cost.

"I want to," his mother returned with another, warmer smile which, to Merlin's bewilderment, faded quickly. "Merlin… Gaius and I have been talking." Merlin bit his lip.

"Yeah?" His voice acquired an uneasy edge. Hunith frowned worriedly back at him, perceptive as ever, but continued;

"We've been looking into colleges for you." Merlin stilled.

"I already know where I want to go," he said.

"I know you do," Hunith replied quietly. "But you're a very gifted student, Merlin, and Gaius has found a school in Camelot with a very good reputation. He thinks you should have no trouble getting in." Merlin's heart skipped a beat.

"Camelot…" he echoed. He felt as if his insides were being twisted into a complicated knot. "Mum… I've only been approved for a one year visit." _And Will and I already picked a college. You know that, _he thought, looking imploringly back at his mother. Her expression was open and apologetic, but when she answered, her voice was firm with resolve:

"Gaius already looked into that. He said that Uther has agreed to instate you as a resident of Camelot."

"I don't want to be a resident of Camelot," Merlin shot back, a bit more sharply than he'd meant to. "I want to go home…" He hated how childish the words sounded, the way his voice shook on the last word, and most of all the sheen of tears in Hunith's anxious eyes. He looked down at his hands and relaxed his grip on the pen he'd been toying with, focusing on the faint imprint that the pen's clip had left on his palm.

"I know. I want you home too," Hunith said softly. "But I think you to consider the school Gaius found. It may be… best for you to stay in Camelot." Merlin didn't answer. He was tracing the imprint on his right palm with his finger. "Merlin…" The word was a gentle request. Merlin forced himself to look up. The line had reappeared between his mother's eyes. "Will you think about it? Please?" Merlin had learned long ago to read between the lines when his mother was speaking to him, especially when she used that gentle, earnest tone with him. He knew all too well what she was trying to tell him—what neither of them could say over the internet. It wasn't safe for him to live in Armagh anymore. It never would be again. Merlin's hands were shaking. He nodded.

"I'll… think about it," he promised. Hunith gave him a small smile.

"Thank you. Listen, sweetheart, I have to go now," she said. "I'll call you tomorrow. Tell Gaius thank you again for me."

"Yeah. I will."

"I love you."

"Love you too," Merlin said over the increasingly painful lump in his throat. Hunith smiled one last time at him before cutting the video-stream. Merlin waited until he saw the 'call ended' screen before taking a deep, ragged breath. He leaned his elbows on the desk, let his forehead rest against the laptop screen, and pressed his palms against his eyes, letting his pen clatter to the desk. The laptop chimed, letting him know that Will had come online. He quickly slammed the lid shut. He wasn't sure he could face Will just now, knowing he would have to tell his friend that their plans for next year had just been shattered. He got up from the desk and threw himself on his bed with his back to the door, his vision blurring with tears of anger and bitter disappointment. Damn the witchfinder and all of his skulking Patroni; damn the dragon and his delusional prophecies; and damn Uther. _Damn_ Uther and his senseless bloody sorcerer hunt.

* * *

Gaius had been out since Merlin returned from school. At least Merlin was grateful for that. Just at the moment he didn't want company. He wanted to focus on something, anything other than the approaching holidays, and that meant being left alone. Everyone else was probably insufferably cheerful. After a long while, the teen got up and wandered through down the hall to the couch where he curled up to peruse his math assignment with the TV beside him running a local news channel. His face fixed in a scowl when he caught the drift of the argument that was taking place on the screen. As if Parliament was going to do a thing about the travel ban. The Patronus force, which was responsible for instating the ban, held an unsettling amount of power over the country and answered only to Uther. Parliament hadn't held sway over _Uther's _decisions since before uprising of the Pure. The war powers granted him during the crisis had never been retracted. England was still 'in a state of war' against sorcery. Merlin for one was beginning to question whether Uther would ever declare the country at peace again. Despite the futility of the debate though, members of the house were enthusiastically shouting support for the young member who was arguing her case against the ban. Merlin ignored the sound of the door opening and abandoned his math homework to devote full attention on the session.

"The country's transportation has been shut down over the disappearance of a single boy whose magical powers are _alleged_ at best," the MP was shouting over the cacophony of voices in the hall. "Would the prime minister have shut down the entire country if the boy's accomplice had escaped as well?" Calls of 'order' from the speaker went completely ignored as half the house erupted in a roar of agreement.

"She really needs her head checked, that one." Merlin started at the interruption. That was _definitely _not Gaius' voice. The MP was now launching a full scale taunting invective against Uther, questioning his ability to protect the country when he couldn't even capture a nine-year-old boy. "Fox can stuff it in her ear," Arthur added, leaning against the couch to watch the warring sides of the house. Merlin's scowl deepened. He honestly couldn't think of anyone he wanted to see _less._

"What the hell are _you _doing here?" he demanded.

"Nice to see you too, Merlin," Arthur said blithely. "Budge up. I want to watch." Merlin, deliberately stretched out and set his math book down on his knees.  
"I'm doing my homework. Go annoy Morgana," he said. Arthur regarded him with an entirely unimpressed expression for a moment and sat down anyways.

"Ow! Get _off _me, you prat!" he snapped, thrashing to get his legs out from under his classmate. He managed to wrench one foot free, snatched up the nearest pillow, and hurled it as hard as he could at Arthur's head. The blond caught it easily, grinning like the Cheshire cat, and Merlin wriggled backwards, drawing his knees up to his chest and clutching the television remote like a weapon.

"I told you to move," Arthur pointed out, unperturbed, and chucked the pillow back. Merlin batted it away.

"What do you want?" he demanded, glaring daggers at his obnoxiously cheerful classmate.

"I'm waiting for Gaius to get back," Arthur said easily. "He's got my father's medicine."

"Well you can wait somewhere else," Merlin bit out.

"Why? Gaius never cared if I used his telly," Arthur said. At Merlin's black look he added, "You can pick the channel. I don't care. I'm sure Gaius won't be long coming." Merlin glowered at Arthur for a moment longer, then he snatched up his math book with his free hand and got up.

"Watch the damn telly. I don't care," he said.

"Someone's really done it, eh?" Arthur said as he turned to leave. Merlin stopped. Every part of him was screaming to ignore the comment, but against his better judgment he looked back at Arthur.

"Done _what_?" he snarled.

"Got you in a bad mood," Arthur said as mildly as if he was commenting on a slightly unusual weather pattern. "I was starting to think it wasn't possible. Was it something I said?" Merlin stood frozen in place, staring at Arthur for a moment. A mixture of shock and fury churned within him. He curled his fingers around the spine of his math book in a white-knuckled grip.

"You _really _think everything's about you, don't you?" he said in a voice shaking with anger. "Did you ever think of the fact that I talk to people other than you? Or maybe that I know people other than you and I do things that have nothing to _do _with you?" Arthur blinked at him, apparently speechless, and Merlin completely lost his temper. "You know what? Have the _whole damn apartment_," he shouted. "I think your stupid, inflated ego is suffocating me." He spun on his heel and headed for the door. He heard Arthur's footsteps following him.

"What the hell, Merlin?" Arthur's voice was the very epitome of bewildered innocence. "Seriously, what did I do?"

"Sod off, Arthur," Merlin snapped. He pulled on his boots, snatched his coat and hat from the hooks, and without looking back he slammed the front door and stormed down the stairs. Leon, dutiful as ever, was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. _Just like Arthur to leave his bodyguard out in the snow_, Merlin reflected uncharitably. He marched past the young Patronus without so much as a glance of recognition. He had no idea where he was going. He just had to get away. He didn't want to see his stuffy little room at the back of the apartment. He didn't want Gaius' inevitable apology when he learned that Merlin was stuck in Camelot for the holidays. He didn't even want to see Will's active status in chat. He'd have to explain to his friend that he wasn't coming home. Not now, not for college… probably not ever. Above all, he didn't want Arthur's stupid, grinning face anywhere near him.

The neighborhood was still crawling with Patroni. Merlin made his way quietly through the streets to the only abandoned place he knew of in the neighborhood: the house and shed he'd found when he first went in search of the dragon's voice. He was in no mood to speak with the cryptic dragon, but he ducked through the fence slats, sat down with his back against the little white shed, and stared down at the front cover of the math book he'd inexplicably brought with him, listening to the crunch of footsteps in the snow as a security patrol passed by.

A few years ago, Hunith had been in a very tight financial spot, and Will had offered to share the costly pre-algebra textbook with Merlin. They had spent half their revising time together embellishing the margins with drawings of soldiers, machines, bones, and all manner of strange, magical creatures. Will had, inadvisably, drawn a moustache and beard over the face of the woman on the front of the textbook. His friend had turned an impressive shade of red when the instructor had one day borrowed his book and subsequently displayed Will's artwork to the class. Merlin had made a few friends in Camelot, but he still ached to go back to Armagh, to enjoy the easy companionship he'd had with Will, to be with a friend who _knew _him—all of him and didn't care. Despite Will's stupid, impulsive tendencies, his knack for getting the pair of them into trouble, and his fierce, blunt temper, Will was a loyal and steadfast friend. He'd stood by Merlin, gotten him out of a few scrapes where he'd nearly been discovered, and they'd learned a few handy tricks Merlin could do with his magic… Will's Viaticus would never be approved for travel to Camelot. His father, long since dead, had been convicted of helping a sorcerer escape the country. And now, Merlin was cut off from Armagh. He knew without a doubt that if he started college in Camelot, he would stay in Camelot. It was a step into a new stage of life… and it felt like he would be leaving Will… and his mother… behind for good.

"You forgot something." For the second time that day, Merlin's head snapped up at the sound of an infuriatingly familiar voice. Arthur. Merlin gave the teen a baleful glare. Arthur looked, surprisingly, a little hesitant, but he ventured a step closer and dropped his peace offering of soft blue cloth into Merlin's lap. Merlin scowled at him again, but he took the scarf and draped it about his neck, burying his stiff, cold fingers in it as he did. He supposed that was the closest thing to an apology that he'd get from Arthur, even if he really didn't want to see the prat at all right now.

"Why don't you go hang out with your friends?" Merlin muttered. Arthur took a seat in the snow nearby.

"Don't have any friends," he said casually. Merlin glanced up in annoyance, but Arthur's expression was entirely serious. The warlock's shoulders slumped and he let out huff, his breath creating a little cloud of misty white in the crisp evening air. He was too cold and tired to bother arguing with Arthur any more.

"That makes two of us," he said bitterly. Both boys were quiet for a while. "You followed me," Merlin said after a bit.

"You took the remote," Arthur said with a shrug. Merlin felt his ears turning red as he realized that the remote was, in fact, tucked into his coat pocket. It had been in his hand when he left the apartment… He must have put it there without thinking. He glared at Arthur.

"Couldn't be bothered to get up at hit the buttons, could you?" Arthur shrugged again.

"Guess not."

"Where's Leon?"

"Probably still waiting by your apartment," Arthur said.

"He let you go off alone?" Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"I climbed out your window," Arthur admitted sheepishly, scuffing his boot in the snow-covered grass. He reached up with one ungloved hand to rub his ears, already red from the cold.

"Your father's going to kill you," Merlin observed unhelpfully.

"I'm already being babysat every second of the day," Arthur grumbled. "Not like my father can make life any worse."

"Wow," Merlin's voice sharpened with sarcasm. "I'm sorry your father cares about your safety." Arthur glared at him, nettled.

"You try being followed to the bloody bathroom at school and see how you like it."

"I wouldn't care if it meant I could be home," Merlin muttered. A long, painful moment of silence followed.

"Oh," Arthur said eventually. Merlin wished with all his heart that Arthur would just get up and leave. He wished he'd kept his stupid mouth shut. But Arthur didn't move, and they sat side-by-side in the fading light of the evening. Merlin sniffed and rubbed a reddened hand across his face. It didn't look like Arthur was planning to go anywhere, so he got up and headed for the fence. Arthur got up too. If Merlin's hands hadn't been so cold, he would happily have shoved a handful of snow in Arthur's face. Couldn't the prat just leave him alone? "If… if your Viaticus is a problem… I can talk to my father—see if he'll get it approved." Arthur offered. The words stopped Merlin in his tracks.

"You…" He blinked. Was Arthur _actually _trying to help?

"I mean… it probably won't work," Arthur added, looking a little uncomfortable. "He might not be willing to grant an exemption… I'm not honestly sure he'll listen to me at all right now… but I can try."

"Probably not worth it," Merlin muttered, shrugging.

"Probably not," Arthur agreed. Another pause. "If you want me to try, though…" Arthur let the thought trail off, looking self-consciously down at his boots as they started heading back the way they'd come. Merlin could only stare at him.

"You're seriously trying to help me?" he asked. Arthur looked up with a scowl.

"No. I just don't want you sulking around _here_ for the rest of the week. You'll probably make Guinevere upset too."

"So you're worried about me _and_ Gwen," Merlin established, a smile spreading across his face. "Maybe you're not a complete prat all the time."

"No. I wasn't… I was just…" Arthur glared at him, thought the effect was ruined when he grimaced and cupped his hands over his ears as the breeze picked up. "Shut up, Merlin," he concluded lamely. Merlin huffed. Anyone would think the prat could afford to buy himself a stupid winter hat. He pulled his own off and impulsively tugged it down over Arthur's ears with a grin.

"Happy Christmas, Arthur!" Arthur just stood still, blinking back at Merlin; he looked equal parts surprised and confused by the gesture. He frowned quizzically at Merlin then rolled his eyes.

"Great," he said in a dry tone. "Now my hair will look like yours."

"Is that why you never wear a hat?" Merlin snorted. "Sorry. I'm sure Morgana will let you borrow a comb to fix it." Arthur's eyebrows rose, and when he none-too-subtly reached down for a handful of snow, Merlin ran for it.

The boys returned to Gaius' apartment and trailed snow through the house after they managed to scramble back in through Merlin's window. Merlin's hands were raw and frozen, his hair was clumped with snow that Arthur had rubbed into it, the pages of his math book were wrinkled with drying moisture, and the TV remote was lost somewhere in the snow along the block. Merlin managed to keep a straight face when Gaius caught sight of him and Arthur trouping out of his room covered in snow, but when Arthur, dripping water onto the carpet, attempted to convince a very-much-not-amused Leon that he'd been inside the entire time, he fixed his eyes on his soaked boots, trying to mask his strangled laughter as a cough. Arthur, despite the foreboding look on Leon's face, clipped Merlin around the head with a grin as he was marched out the door, his father's medicine clasped in one hand and still wearing Merlin's hat.

* * *

**AN: As always, please leave a review if you can. Feedback encourages me to get moving on the next chapter, AND I really appreciate it! :) THANK YOU!  
~Sandyy**


End file.
